Chapter 136: 27th Floor: Rebellion
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 136: 27th Floor: Rebellion
How on earth did Elina obtain the ability to brainwash?
Elina was born on Planet Garsantia, designated NO.36 by real-world standards.
Lee Do-hee didn't know the specifics, but this planet's dimensional wall was quite thin.
A thin dimensional wall meant it was susceptible to interference from other worlds. All sorts of riffraff wandering through dimensions would fall through, and gods and Constellations frequently intervened.
It meant that, unlike Earth which had the Tower as a specific medium, strange things could just pop in.
Necroumbra's discovery of the Dimensional Wanderer, the appearance of the Bicorn, even things like modern lie detectors and various so-called ancient relics—most of them came from other dimensions.
And here, one day, a girl with a special power was born.
Her ability was communication with the Constellations.
It was a power some had to climb to the 10th floor of the Tower to obtain, but she had it from birth.
Of course, a contract was necessary to use the power properly, and after long deliberation, she contracted with the [Constellation Who Whispers Truth].
From then on, she instinctively began to understand and utilize her ability.
'The more I deceive someone, the stronger my ability becomes.'
A very simple rule.
Her physical strength didn't increase, but her ability to deceive people and her own stature grew little by little.
What she first did for fun became her daily routine, and eventually, her life.
As her power grew, her appearance became more beautiful, and she even learned a fake form of spirit magic.
This power evolved to the next level, allowing her to brainwash people, and she even gained the ability to alter the world's common sense itself.
'No one shall find it strange that I, Elina, meet with multiple men!'
'No one shall notice that I am brainwashing them!'
Even with a Constellation's contract, she was ultimately just a noble lady who grew up sheltered, reading romance fantasy novels at home. She had no intention of doing anything grand with this power.
She simply twisted the world by creating rules for her own happiness. Of course, she gave no thought to the victims.
She was the protagonist of the world, so what did the stories of mere side characters matter?
As time passed and her ability developed, it became easier and easier to deceive people.
She realized that the stats gained from direct deception were greater than those from indirect deception, and that deceiving someone with a stronger aura yielded far more stats than deceiving an ordinary person.
'Men who have a crush on me are so easy~'
Elina, already revered more than a saintess in her own domain, now headed for the imperial capital.
Of course, this ability wasn't invincible.
First, it barely worked on women who had no favorable feelings toward her. It was especially difficult with people who disliked her or viewed her unfavorably. There was also the cumbersome rule that to be brainwashed, a person had to have been directly deceived by her in some way.
That's why she couldn't do anything even while being mercilessly fucked by the Saintess.
Furthermore, intelligent or strong-willed opponents weren't easily deceived or brainwashed. There were even people she thought she had brainwashed, only to find them free of her influence at some point.
The capital was teeming with such people.
Especially Kalisha's father, King Barthion Crawford.
The moment she tried a simple trick to deceive and brainwash him, her eyes twinkling, he rushed over in a single stride and spewed verbal abuse, telling her not to try any funny business before he plucked her eyeballs out.
Her plan to oust Kalisha, who was already engaged to the Crown Prince, and take the position of Crown Princess for herself was also partly for revenge.
The Saintess's childhood friend? He was just a passing tool for a stat upgrade. She was seeing five men at the time, so she didn't even remember his name.
And so, while she was steadily using her abilities and riding a wave of success, she met Kalisha, now possessed by Lee Do-hee!
Her true nature was exposed…
'Damn it... Where did it all go wrong?'
The foolish Kalisha.
Not making her a target for brainwashing was simply for her own amusement.
She thought she could brainwash a stupid, big-breasted bitch like that whenever she wanted, so she just planned to play with her for a while.
But that same girl had completely turned the tables.
'But why...'
She felt as if her very essence had been pierced by that sharp gaze.
If people realize they've been brainwashed, the spell will break. They'll become like the Prime Minister over there, glaring at me so coldly!
'I can't let that happen. I have no choice... You brought this on yourself, Kalisha. I tried to resolve this peacefully!!!'
The time had come to use the final ability she had recently learned.
*
"So, what's your answer?"
As I triumphantly pressured Elina, her expression changed dramatically.
Then, as if having made a decision, her eyes flashed as she looked at me.
Her eyes suddenly curved into crescents, and the corners of her mouth lifted into a smirk...
"Puhahahahahaha!!!"
She burst into laughter.
'What, has she gone crazy?'
She shot to her feet and shouted loudly.
"Everyone!!! Kalisha Crawford and the Prime Minister are conspiring to frame me!! Please, judge this wicked villainess with your own hands!!"
Elina shouted with a crazed laugh, like a pseudo-saintess, like the leader of a fanatical cult.
A strange energy spread out from around her.
"You crazy bitch, what are you suddenly doing...?"
I was a little taken aback by Elina's sudden outburst, so unlike her usual self.
While I was debating whether to summon my spear and stab the bitch in the neck, a sword struck the spot where I had been standing.
Kwang!!
I quickly dodged to the side, only to see the captain of the Royal Guard, whom I'd occasionally seen when meeting the Emperor, trying to kill me.
“You vile witch!! Receive the judgment of justiceeee!!!”
And that wasn't all.
The Magic Tower Lord and a considerable number of knights, as well as nobles and commoner spectators with nothing but their bare fists, all rose to their feet.
“Kill that bitch!”
“She's a witch who bewitches people!”
“Let's all enact justice together!”
"Justice in our hands!"
They rushed to kill me as if possessed.
The people around them saw their acquaintances, who had been perfectly fine moments ago, suddenly rise with weapons like madmen, but there was nothing they could do.
They knew these people were acting crazy, but since the 'why' hadn't been revealed yet, everyone was just bewildered.
"Stop!! What is the meaning of this!!!"
The Emperor stepped forward, shouting loudly, but no one listened.
“Kill herrrr!!”
“Execute the witch Kalisha!”
“Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! Ooh!”
“Witch! Witch! Witch!”
As I dodged the Guard Captain's sword and created distance, ice picks flew at me from afar.
[Ray of Frost]
The Lord of the Blue Magic Tower.
The Archmage's razor-sharp ice magic descended upon me, but,
“Did that bastard really get brainwashed?!”
Kesira seized the opportunity to intervene.
[Inferno]
Fire and ice met and clashed.
“You're so screwed, you bastard! You're dead by my hand today!”
“Miss Kesira? Step aside! Are you defending the witch?”
'Why are those two fighting?'
Ignoring them for now, I dodged the Guard Captain's incoming sword and assessed the situation.
‘It's a complete shitshow.’
Knights loyal to the Emperor and knights loyal to Elina were tangled up, fighting each other, while the adventurers from Max's Inn were beating up the people who had jumped from the stands to charge with their bare fists.
"How do you like the taste of an adventurer's fist, you noble bastards!!"
"Who's the villainess! That woman is a master of creampies!"
The adventurers, strengthened by the 'hole-sharing brotherhood effect', were mercilessly beating up not only the nobles but also the proctors on Elina's side.
'Why are they so excited...'
To the side, a spectacular fire and ice show was unfolding, and with hundreds of people tangled up in a brawl, it was utter pandemonium.
“Hahahahahaha!!! Just die quietly, villainess Kalisha!!”
Elina had lost her mind and was laughing like a crazy bitch.
I considered just killing Elina, but Barkan was guarding her staunchly.
‘That leech-like bastard!’
Worse, it seemed he'd had some kind of epiphany, as he was already a Swordmaster.
If I attacked recklessly, I could get caught between two Swordmasters, and who knows what would happen.
‘First, I'll snap this guy back to his senses!’
A fight?
Just what I wanted.
"Alright, let's have a proper fight!"
Just how much have I grown?
It's time to find out.
'Good thing I didn't wear a dress.'
I thought it was a good call to wear my riding habit just in case, as I watched the sword flying swiftly toward me.
"Die, witch!!"
A sword striking straight down, vertically.
Though a simple attack, the mana and power within it were not to be underestimated.
Hwoong!!
I dodged the downward strike by a hair's breadth.
'Now.'
All buffs stacked five times, plus body enhancement through divine power.
'I have two sets of buffs, you bastard!'
A single, swift thrust.
[Straight Spear]
Kwajik!
The spear pierced through his armor.
"How could this be... I was... the evil witch..."
Thud.
I subdued a Swordmaster in a single clash.
It might look like a simple victory, but it was the result of a psychological tactic—moving slowly at first, then suddenly accelerating.
I didn't kill him. But with his abdomen pierced, he won't be able to eat properly for a while.
"The witch killed the Captain!"
"You fools, have you been bewitched by her too?!"
"You're the ones who are bewitched! Do you intend to defy His Majesty the Emperor's command?!"
"His Majesty the Emperor is being deceived too! Only Lady Elina is the truth!"
The crazed followers of Elina finally broke through the defensive line and rushed at me.
The mages who had been watching the battle between the Tower Lords also joined in, charging at me.
"We follow our Tower Lord! Today, we will erase the Red Magic Tower, and our Blue Magic Tower will stand at the center of power!!"
Spears and swords.
All kinds of magic rained down on me.
'This might be a little unpleasant.'
It was a situation similar to the one on the 72nd floor, and my hands tensed.
No, this was different.
Unlike the past, where I had to bear it all alone, I have allies here.
"We will help you!"
The knights who hadn't been brainwashed joined in.
"I didn't think she would go this far..."
"...I'm sorry for everything."
The un-brainwashed Prime Minister and Crown Prince. And even the Emperor himself drew his sword and descended into the arena.
That wasn't the end of it.
Kesira, helping me for reasons unknown.
The hole-sharing brother adventurers from Max's Inn.
The head butler and escort knights of the Crawford family.
And even the Bicorn, who had broken through the encirclement from somewhere.
I'm not alone anymore.
"Lethal force is authorized!! Strike down the traitors!!"
As the Emperor shouted from our side,
"Kill everyone who has been bewitched by the witch!!"
Elina shouted back.
"Waaaaaaah!!!!"
Along with a roar from who knows which side,
Dudududu!!! Kwaaaang!!
The two sides clashed in the center of the arena.
I took that opportunity to ride the Bicorn and temporarily escape the encirclement.
'Crazy zombie-like bastards!'
The knights, cloaked in menacing auras, charged at me with no regard for their own lives, and the spells that relentlessly targeted only me.
If I had stayed there, it would have been a little dangerous.
'Going in again. Target: the mages.'
"I'll go with you."
The moment I spurred my mount forward, the Emperor approached, leading a large, red horse on par with the Bicorn. He pressed something on his chest, and with a chwareureureu- sound, a full suit of armor materialized around him.
I didn't ask what the Emperor was doing. I could feel at once that he was also a formidable warrior.
"I used to ride through battlefields with your father like this, and now I'm riding with his daughter..."
Hearing the Emperor's monologue, we split up.
We circled around the messy brawl in the center.
I went right, and the Emperor went left.
"Be careful, Your Majesty."
"You be careful yourself, my lady. I'm worried your father will beat me to death if you get hurt."
Sharp shards of ice struck the spot where the Emperor and I had been.
The ground froze and walls of earth rose, but they couldn't stop my Bicorn and me from breaking through.
The Emperor's horse must have been quite exceptional as well, as it charged forward, simply tanking all the magic with its body.
'No, is that the power of his gear?'
Befitting an emperor, he was decked out in the finest ancient artifacts, and they couldn't even get through his shield.
"H-here they come! Deploy all shield magic!"
"Too late..."
[Lightning Strike]
Kugwagwagwagwagwang!!
The sky flashed, and at the same moment, the mages' joint shield magic shattered to pieces. The Emperor and I descended upon the defenseless mages.
[Charge]
Peobeobeobeobeobeok!!!
People exploded as if hit by a train. The two rapidly accelerating mounts passed through, grinding people up like pulverizers from both sides.
As the Emperor and I passed each other in the middle as if giving a high-five,
Hudeudeudeudeuk...
Chunks of the mages' flesh and blood rained down from the sky.
"H-how could this be!!"
It wasn't over.
Our mounts circled the arena once more and charged again.
"S-save me..."
"Aaargh! Run!"
With more than half of them wiped out in a single pass, the mages couldn't pull themselves together.
In the blink of an eye, the Emperor and I closed the distance even faster and trampled them again.
There wasn't even a need to swing my spear.
'This is what a mount is for!'
We just passed by, but everyone from high mages to apprentice mages was equally turned into a handful of bloody water.
Seeing their rear guard annihilated, the knights and the bare-fisted spectators either collapsed to the ground or surrendered.
"Kugh, how dare you do this to our Blue Magic Tower mages... Kuaaaargh!!!"
The moment the Blue Tower Lord's attention was diverted, he was hit by Kesira's surprise attack and subdued.
"Tsk tsk, you backed the wrong horse, you idiot."
Kesira stepped on the Blue Tower Lord's face and stood over him.
The situation was brought under control in an instant.
No matter how powerful, brainwashing was still just mind control.
What just happened was close to mind domination, but as time passed and their lives were threatened, their original minds returned.
Now, only two remained.
Barkan, who stood before Elina as if protecting his own child, even as everyone else gave up or surrendered.
A lone young wolf was left in front of Elina.