Are You Seriously a Crazy Bastard?
Are You Seriously a Crazy Bastard?
The Beacon Fire Sword cleaved the 8th Iteration's neck. At the same moment, the released Calamity Flame consumed its body. Within the explosively blazing flames, the light cluster scattered.
Splatter! Hot blood rained down onto the frozen land.
"Ha-yul!"
A trace that should never appear within the Tower. A horrified Baek A-rin cried out. Having extinguished the Calamity Flame, Lee Ha-yul flinched and slowly descended from the sky.
His condition became even more apparent.
Blood dripped from every part of his body. Especially from the seven orifices of his face, blood streamed down steadily. Baek A-rin's eyes widened.
"What's with all this bleeding this time?!"
[Uhh...]
[Hesitating]
"What do you mean hesitating?! Get over here!"
At her shouted outburst, Lee Ha-yul shrank back and approached. Baek A-rin floated her staff beside her and examined Lee Ha-yul's condition.
"...Fortunately, it's not a major wound... or is it? Is it only this bad because he's already healing?"
Blue eyes narrowed.
Compared to the amount of blood flowing, there were almost no wounds.
Considering he had faced such a monster, it was practically nothing at all.
The problem was that this was the state of a body whose durability and regeneration had increased monstrously through Taesan manifestation.
Moreover, for some reason, he was bleeding inside the Tower. Just like last time. Baek A-rin's eyes sharpened.
"What is it this time?"
[Uh... I'm not really sure either]
"Why are you telling such an obvious lie? Just stay still for now."
Letting out a deep sigh, Baek A-rin raised a hand coated with Water Energy.
Still, as befitting a Manifestor of Taesan, his body was regenerating in real time.
Vitality Energy blazed forth, replenishing flesh and blood, while light clusters of two colors shimmered and melted into the wounds.
"This is Ellia's Recovery Melody. So you're not even trying to hide it anymore, are you?"
[Hehe...]
The wounds rapidly approached a complete cure. It was an absolutely astonishing recovery rate.
Then, with an awkward laugh, Lee Ha-yul squirmed his way into her embrace.
The sight of him burying his face in her chest while gauging her mood was exactly like a child watching their mom's expression in fear of getting scolded.
Swallowing a sigh, Baek A-rin pulled Lee Ha-yul tightly into her arms.
"Good grief, good grief! Seriously, you're driving me crazy. I had my suspicions, but I never thought something would happen even in here."
[Ng...]
"We'll see when we get back. You're dead now, Ha-yul."
[Eek...! Th-that's...]
Lee Ha-yul flailed both arms. Yet he showed no intention of leaving her embrace, which made her want to laugh.
"Getting scolded is getting scolded. For now, rest a little."
Chuckling softly, Baek A-rin calmly stroked his back. Lee Ha-yul, who had been thrashing, stiffened momentarily, then relaxed his rigid body under her touch and went limp in her arms.
'That person.'
In the meantime.
Baek A-rin thought about the entity that had been slain by this Lee Ha-yul.
He was strong.
Not just strong, but monstrously, overwhelmingly strong.
Was there anyone among the current superhumans who was that powerful?
Lee Ji-ah, the current head of the Taesan family? Honestly, even Lee Ji-ah seemed weaker than this man.
That was how shocking the man's strength was.
'......'
But there was something else that bothered Baek A-rin more.
The killing intent that man had unleashed was so thick and chilling that it ranked among the most memorable in Baek A-rin's entire life.
When his gaze pierced her, her body froze like a sheet of ice, as if she would be torn into hundreds of thousands of pieces in an instant.
Had that killing intent manifested into a phenomenon, she would have died a hundred times over.
Before even discussing such ferocity, she found herself questioning the motive behind that killing intent.
Resentment, a sense of betrayal, rage, distrust... a complex and innumerable mass of negative emotions, too many to list individually. All of them had been directed at Baek A-rin.
'Just who is he?'
She had never met such a man in her life. If a complete stranger with no connection to her directed killing intent at her, she could simply conclude he was insane.
But because of the man's face, it was hard to dismiss it that way.
'He looks like him.'
- Squish.
[Bwee-ee]
Baek A-rin cupped Lee Ha-yul's cheeks and tilted his head up to look.
A dazed yet beautiful face filled her vision. The blood had long since been wiped away, so she could see it clearly.
Though the overall aura differed greatly, it was clearly similar.
He.
Resembled Lee Ha-yul. Resembled him to the point of seeming somehow identical. The trial entity who had appeared alongside Lee Ha-yul in the Tower of Growth.
Why had he poured such chilling killing intent toward Baek A-rin? Why had he glared at her with an expression so thick with betrayal?
Betrayal.
A word that had been flowing naturally suddenly lodged itself firmly in place.
Betrayal, betrayal, betrayal... toward whom? Surely he would hold killing intent toward the one who had betrayed him.
That man had poured killing intent at Baek A-rin. Yet he had hesitated just before acting on it, as if revealing a soft side.
He resembled Lee Ha-yul.
And Baek A-rin... was in a situation where betrayal was impossibl—
[Don't worry]
- Chwap.
The sensation touching both her cheeks cut her thoughts off cleanly. Baek A-rin blinked.
Lee Ha-yul, holding both of her cheeks, grinned brightly. Even atop the snow-laden field, it was a smile that stood out vividly.
[Just trust me]
"...Pfft. Yes, yes. I left our baby alone and let my thoughts wander for a moment."
[Hey... don't tease me. I said just trust m—]
"Mmng."
She pressed Lee Ha-yul's head down into her chest as he pouted his lips.
Lee Ha-yul squirmed momentarily, but as expected, he soon buried his face in her chest and settled there comfortably.
- Thump... thump... thump...
From within the flesh enclosing the chest, the sound of a heartbeat reached her ears.
A much lower and quieter sound than that of most people.
* * *
The scene reflected in his eyes was truly strange.
A frozen land filled with overturned and ruptured signs of battle. Amidst the steadily accumulating snow, a man and woman were making a scene, wrapped around each other.
Lee Ha-yul was burying himself in her arms and acting spoiled like a child, while Baek A-rin held him close and tended to him with rather gentle care.
"Huhh..."
Watching the scene from beyond the wall of space, the 8th Iteration's mouth fell open.
As an archer, it felt a bit off to doubt his own eyes, but he rubbed his eyelids anyway. Unfortunately, his pupils were perfectly fine.
'If that's their relationship... well... I can see why he'd come charging in ready to kill...'
His face naturally soured.
Of course, it wasn't something the 8th Iteration himself intended to do. But wasn't the other side moving a bit too fast? They were still Siyoram cadets...
'What the hell kind of boomer thoughts am I having even in death?'
His thoughts were veering somewhere strange. Turning his head, the 8th Iteration glanced to the side.
"What the hell is up with that protection? He's leaking blood everywhere."
A pitch-black space like a starless universe. A woman stood near the 8th Iteration.
Violet eyes stared at the 8th Iteration. It was Vice Headmaster Venus. Lightly gripping her staff, Venus opened her mouth.
"The protection is clearly in effect."
"I can see that too. But is that the kind of flimsy protection that just peels off and gets modified whenever he feels like it?"
Even as he said that, he knew well it wasn't flimsy protection.
The protection granted to cadets who enter the Tower.
A fraudulent mechanism that reflects positive changes and annihilates negative changes into the void.
Obviously, it wasn't the kind of mechanism a cadet could remove just because they wanted to.
"...Tch, never mind."
Suddenly, the 8th Iteration clicked his tongue at Venus, who was staring at him without blinking, as if listening intently.
The 8th Iteration knew Venus well, of course.
The Vice Headmaster of Siyoram. The person closest to the Headmaster, the Tower Master of Growth. Thanks to that, she had also been the one most harassed by the other iterations.
"Do you know about me?"
"I do not know in detail. It is more accurate to say I know very little."
"How little?"
"......"
"Is this a restriction too? You really wrote one hell of a tight contract."
So he shifted his gaze and his question. Venus answered as she looked down at the snowy field.
It wasn't a satisfying answer. It had been the same... when he was alive. Even if he grabbed Venus by the collar and shook her relentlessly, all he got out of her was money and a few favors.
Scowling, the 8th Iteration shrugged his shoulders.
"Mom sure is strict. Nothing to tell me, just working me to the bone. Huh? The absolute worst kind of parent."
"...Pardon?"
Venus blinked. Rarely, a question mark surfaced within her eyes.
"It is difficult to understand the question."
"Your parent. The one stuck in that tower with an ass so damn heavy."
"...I would ask you to reconsider the definition of a parent."
The violet eyes faintly, ever so slightly, furrowed. A change so minute it was hard to discern with the naked eye, but to the 8th Iteration, it was clearly visible.
"'Creator' fits better, I guess. Eh, whatever."
Feeling the rather piercing gaze, he subtly turned his head away.
Pitch-black darkness filled everything. The interior of the Tower. This wasn't a limited floor, but the void between them—where one traveled between floors.
A place he had been so desperately curious about in life. The 8th Iteration's eyes grew calm.
Those calm eyes became distant.
Within them, a far-off space was contained. He stared at the countless floors filling that space. He assessed the armies amassing within those floors.
"Ha, no wonder you've been so slow to move."
The 8th Iteration let out a hollow laugh.
* * *
The 8th Iteration was at the place where he had first been summoned.
Where the battle had begun. The mountain that had once stood here was gone, leaving behind only rough, uneven terrain.
Traces of the fight were stark: areas annihilated upon contact with Heavenly Thunder, places frozen and carved into rivers by Azure Sea, sections melted into lava by Calamity Flame before solidifying, and ground manipulated and halted by Taesan.
"You came?"
The 8th Iteration was sitting on a rock riddled with holes, like a sponge. I carefully touched down beside him.
[Yes... hello...]
Even the tone of my necklace was cautious.
I had no choice. Even if the pain is dulled inside the Tower, he had just cut my throat out of the blue.
Considering the strange, indescribable relationship between me and the 8th Iteration, I couldn't help but be careful.
"Yeah, welcome."
Fortunately, the 8th Iteration's reply was mild.
My face brightened a little at that, and the 8th Iteration got off the rock and strode over to me.
Then his hand went up. The moment a question mark appeared above my head, his fist came down, splitting right through it.
- Thump
[Gahk]
The pressing pain on the top of my skull made my body flinch. The 8th Iteration, having delivered the fist, clicked his tongue.
"Who do you think you are, testing an adult like that? I oughta—."
[......]
My necklace, about to protest the sudden punch, fell silent.
[I wasn't testing you... I just had a feeling you would...]
The killing intent the 8th Iteration had unleashed was directed at Baek A-rin.
It had been clear and thick. Killing intent born from slick, murky malice. It must have been that genuine.
That was why I had tried desperately to stop the 8th Iteration from going after Baek A-rin...
'It was different.'
As I fought the 8th Iteration and gathered more information, my thoughts shifted a little.
His words—that he wanted to kill her—were sincere. The hatred and loathing were true too.
But was this truly an attempt to kill? Once I found the thread, question marks bubbled up.
So I kept my distance and watched for a moment, ready to stop him instantly no matter how fast he was.
The doubt was correct.
The 8th Iteration had no intention of killing Baek A-rin. To be precise, he had no intention of acting on that impulse.
"That is testing someone, you brat."
[Mm...]
The 8th Iteration raised his fist again. I flinched, covering my crown as I stepped back. The 8th Iteration gave me an incredulous look.
"Hey, you're a Manifestor of Taesan. A little punch like that can't possibly sting, right?"
[Even if there's no pain, I still don't like getting hit...]
"That's obvious. No, seriously. You, the guy who even deflected Heavenly Thunder—why are you acting scared of a punch?"
He had a point, more or less. Given my durability, I wouldn't die in one hit even if I took a Heavenly Thunder strike.
But isn't the person who threw the punch the one at fault here? My lips pouted instinctively.
"Oh? What do you think you did right, pouting like that?"
I got scolded again. I forced my pout away. The 8th Iteration, shaking his head from side to side, plopped back down on the rock.
"Anyway. What I mean is, I have no right to act, since I'm already dead. It would be absurd for me, someone not even involved, to act on my own."
The 8th Iteration rested his chin on his hand and gazed up at the far-off sky.
"Of course, I could step in, considering the danger. But if you've personally refused, for me to interfere anyway is... ...not something I can do."
The end of his words blurred slightly as he glanced sideways at me.
His distant eyes, dyed sky blue, were calm. But the Authority of Observation read the countless fragments of emotion contained within them.
Those were feelings difficult for me to imagine, and not something I should speak about carelessly. Reading the mood, I kept my mouth firmly shut.
"...That's about it. The person involved says they'll handle it, so I'm staying out of it."
[Yes, thank you. Really.]
"What's there to thank. More importantly, how did you undo the pain protection the Tower provides? No, before that, why did you undo it?"
The 8th Iteration, chin resting on his hand, blinked as he asked. I chewed on my words for a moment, then turned my head slightly as if avoiding his gaze.
[...The state with heightened senses accelerates growth faster than the protected state.]
"So you willingly endured the pain of having arrows stuck in you and getting seared by Heavenly Thunder? Huh, you're even more relentless than I thought?"
[For the sake of efficiency... I can endure a little pain...]
"Yeah, yeah, you might be able to... What's with the necklace? And why are your eyes closed? Are you doing some mind's eye training or something?"
[...The circumstances are a bit deep. It's also difficult to explain to others.]
"A curse?"
The 8th Iteration, arms crossed, tossed it out casually. I pulled my trembling shoulders under control. The 8th Iteration nodded.
"Damned plague. And it's not just one... What the hell is that thing in the center, fuck... Ha, you've got pretty shitty circumstances yourself."
[Question]
"You don't know my info? I've got good eyes. And if I keep my expansion ability active, I can see most things."
I hadn't even said anything in detail, but the 8th Iteration, having understood my question, pointed at his own eyes.
Eyes as blue and distant as the sky. A distinct innate talent emanated from them. It was the Heavenly Eye, the Heavenly Thunder expansion ability.
'If it's that, then definitely...'
It'd probably pierce through anything material. Its perception of mana and spiritual things would be incredible too.
"Well, I couldn't see the most important thing, though."
[......]
The words he suddenly muttered to himself were a landmine.
Regret and bitterness rushed up so sharply it stung the tongue. With nothing to say in response, I broke into a nervous sweat, and the 8th Iteration just shrugged his shoulders.
"Ah, forget it. I was just rambling."
[No, it's fine.]
"Fine my ass. Anyway. Tell me your abilities and techniques first. The Tower entry period is one week, right? I need to keep them in mind while I teach you."
[Okay.]
Normally, such abilities are strictly confidential, but for the 8th Iteration, it shouldn't matter. I nodded and obediently recited my abilities and the techniques I'd learned.
...
"Mana Affinity and All-Rounder... Wow, you crazy son of a bitch."
[Please don't curse...]
"How can I not curse? How can a unique ability like that even exist?"
The 8th Iteration clenched his fist tightly, as if he found it deeply unfair.
"For expansion abilities, you've got Homogenization and Myriad Transformations... Unconditional imitation? If you imitate an attribute or a special-type ability, it eventually settles into your own innate talent? This is such bullshit."
[Uu...]
The 8th Iteration spewed curses without pause...
"Body Reinforcement Technique and Aura Technique. Magic—you've even learned Unique Magic Path. Necromancy, which you can get boosted through Taesan... Spirit Arts?"
Counting off on his fingers with a dizzy expression, the 8th Iteration suddenly stopped talking. He gave me a peculiar look, scanning me over.
His gaze landed on my hair and the winged garment.
"White hair, and that thing—it was multicolored wings earlier... Now that I think about it, you kind of look a lot like... a fairy?"
[I think I'm about half fairy.]
"What on earth does that mean?"
We got sidetracked for a moment by a debate about mixed heritage.
"Huu, well, it does make teaching easier... but my head hurts..."
A little later. The 8th Iteration, sitting cross-legged on the rock, clutched his head.
"...Hey, I need to cool my head for a bit. In the meantime, start by telling me about that."
[About what?]
"Baek A-rin. You said you have a way to resolve it. That's why I stopped for now. I'm going to listen and judge whether that method is actually feasible."
[Aha.]
I bobbed my head in agreement.
He wasn't wrong.
There was no reason to hide it either.
The plan was nearly perfect.
Preparations were also falling into place, step by step. I explained to the 8th Iteration everything I had planned and prepared so far.
...
"Are you actually insane?"
After hearing the explanation, the 8th Iteration's mouth dropped wide open.
* * *
[The Tower Master of Harmonization quietly pricks up their ears.]
...
[The Tower Master of Harmonization shoots up from their seat.]
[Sh#%! B#%#%#tch─!]
[The Tower Master of Harmonization manifests the Authority 「Harmonization」.]
...
[The Tower Master of Knowledge flinches, their shoulders tensing.]
[The Tower Master of Space jolts in surprise.]
[The Tower Master of Observation bites their tongue.]
[The Tower Master of Growth falls silent.]