Chapter 130
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 130
Chapter Title: Avichi (6)
The Tower of Intellect glanced indifferently at the prisoners rushing past before speaking.
"Looks like only the first floor opened."
"How do you know?"
"You can tell from their caliber."
"They might not have come up yet."
The Tower of Intellect shook his head as if it were obvious.
"From deeper than the first floor? No chance. The deeper the layer, the longer they've endured torment. Guys like that would want to bolt faster than anyone."
It made sense when I heard it.
Besides, it was unrealistic for someone named Asma to possess the power to fling open every layer of Avichi in one go.
...Though judging by the state of these prisoners now, calling it 'unrealistic' felt kinda pointless.
It was like coming face-to-face with lifeforms from another dimension.
Anyway, now I had to spot the guy the Merciful Crown mentioned amid this flood of prisoners streaming by.
The problem? No clue how. Or rather, it felt utterly hopeless.
I couldn't exactly round up all these escape-crazed inmates in one spot.
Even the one real prospect—the Tower of Intellect—wasn't exactly at full strength right now.
Yet somehow, the prisoners were ghosting around him like he was cursed. Bizarre.
'How the hell do I even find him...'
For now, I was the only one here with natural mana still firing on all cylinders. Might have to scan them one by one.
Inefficient as hell, sure—but options were slim in this mess.
Right then.
The manaphone at my waist gave a faint buzz.
Just like before, both the Tower of Intellect and I reacted.
[Merciful Crown]: Is it a success?
Asking that meant... the Merciful Crown had clocked what went down.
He'd said from the start he had ways to sense living prisoners in Avichi.
So maybe he could even tell they'd busted out.
Not weird at all.
The Tower of Intellect must've hit the same conclusion.
[Tower of Intellect]: How did you know?
[Merciful Crown]: The connection's sharpened.
[Tower of Intellect]: Can you send intent?
[Tower of Intellect]: We didn't find him ourselves, y'know.
[Merciful Crown]: Got it.
[Merciful Crown]: Can't relay precisely.
[Merciful Crown]: But once he's out of Avichi, destination's fixed.
[Merciful Crown]: He'll come to us.
[Tower of Intellect]: Then we don't gotta hunt him down.
The Tower of Intellect nodded as he scanned the exchange, muttering to himself.
"Name was... Chamal, yeah? Must've been first floor."
The Tower of Intellect coiled his tail tip around the manaphone again.
I tucked mine back into my belt too.
...Might really not need to bother searching.
If so, no point sticking around this mana-starved dump.
Heading out as-is? Solid plan.
Blazing Glory was currently slung over the Tower of Intellect's shoulder.
He didn't even register it, still whimpering like he was sobbing.
What the hell did Asma do to reduce him to this?
The Tower of Intellect caught my look and spoke up.
"Mental assault, probably. His psyche wasn't ironclad."
We'd sensed it talking to him too.
No self-assurance, no core beliefs.
Just eternally babysitting Avichi's inmates. That was it.
"Drag this one along?"
"Gotta."
Avichi breached? Leaving him here screamed bad idea.
Without the Tower of Intellect, those escapees would've mobbed Blazing Glory by now.
"Even if we snag Chamal... smarter to bail first, link up later. Connection's clear now—he's probably surfaced nearby."
I nodded at the Tower of Intellect's take.
He wanted out. Good enough.
If Chamal'd track the Merciful Crown solo, no sense blundering through chaos for him.
Asma flickered through my mind.
Captured alive, more intel?
Doubtful.
Even nabbed, odds low he'd spill.
That mother core the Tower of Intellect mentioned? Kept mouths shut.
Still, Avichi in total uproar, and... crickets outside?
Really driven home how abandoned this joint was.
Forces of evil'd catch wind now.
Or... they pulled this because they knew.
"Getting out's a breeze, but..."
The Tower of Intellect eyed the spatial layout, murmuring.
Seemed he rated slicing space same as strolling in—no sweat.
"Problem is, these prisoners escape just as easy."
Monstrous inmates spilling topside... what then?
Wouldn't end in mere bedlam. Obvious.
Success foiling evil's scheme? Or if abyssal depths emptied too, apocalypse-level chaos.
Key question: evil's aim via that chaos?
Brain throbbed.
Scale exploded.
Spot's remote from the Empire, yeah—but no faith anyone'd plug the leak before it hit there.
'Rally the chat crew to dam it up?'
But instant pushback.
Why? Sell it to the members how?
Thoughts tangled.
This mayhem's omen? Choice staring me down?
Busting ass to halt it, only for fresh crises to spawn?
Evil's true play?
Felt like a fork in the road.
Self-interest slamming world equilibrium.
One step... reshapes every thread ahead.
Or hack a fix for both...
"What're you brooding over? Move already."
"..."
The Tower of Intellect prodded.
His breezy tone snapped the mental knot.
Yeah. Out first.
The black veil? Shattered ages ago.
A barrier I'd cracked with primordial glyphs? Laughable to these freaks.
Hence, murky void now lit wide open.
We zipped back our path amid airborne prisoner swarm—
then slammed brakes on instinct.
"...What the?"
Musta misseen.
This cosmic void-hell... lone stele plunked dead center.
Blank, scentless, utterly vanilla... precisely why it screamed alien here.
"Huh?"
The Tower of Intellect tracked my stare, clocked it.
"Why's this here?"
"...Oracle Stele?"
The Tower of Intellect muttered, dazed.
"Avichi's legit tied to the Sephirot?"
Beneath the dark shroud unfurled across the firmament.
In gloom so thick outlines blurred paces apart, a voice rumbled low.
Silhouette furred white fluff top to toe—Ad's timbre.
"What the hell happened?"
The squirming blob hovering ahead slowly lifted its "head."
Formless sludge. Asma, reborn via mother core.
"Unforeseen snag."
"What..."
"Wuwei. The Transcendent of Non-Action stormed Avichi!"
"Wuwei?"
Ad choked.
"Why'd Wuwei... Hidden warden stashed there?"
"Unknown. But... had backup. Whether secret warden posse? Unclear."
Then a robed shadow nearby—hood deep, back bowed, twin antennae snaking out—sneered.
"Losers yapping away."
Asma's goo quivered, bristling.
"Don't lump me with that chump. Who foresaw a Non-Action Transcendent crashing the party?"
"Fail's a fail. Ad, your plot tanked to some mystery badass too."
Back when Ad forged the Moonshadow Conclave to seize the North.
First wrench? No elf—powerhouse of unknown stripe.
Smashed Philip Deran's keep. Then iced other Rank Transcendents.
ID still zilch.
"How's it taste, same bracket as your punchline?"
"...Differs. Nailed the first floor."
"Fair. Now, spill on this Wuwei's look."
"Polymorph human. Incomplete tho. Thick tail trailed back, black wings flared."
Asma, salvaging cred, dumped details.
Mental strikes? Bupkis. Raw power crushed his whole being.
Then the long-locked man silent till now—Lord's premier apostle, Seiton—spoke. Kidnapper of Ivan's clone.
"Heavenly Dragon Clan."
"...Heavenly Dragon Clan?"
As murmurs stuttered, the hunched one twigged.
"No friggin' way... seal's undone?"