Chapter 140
Chapter 140
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 140
Chapter Title: Tower of Trials_Heavenly Demon Horde
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Killing intent always strikes at unexpected moments, but the truly perceptive can read the warning signs.
Like predicting a building's collapse from cracks in the wall, or dodging financial ruin by foreseeing a market crash from stock trends. I had always been pretty good at that kind of intuition myself.
While Bennett's party was sweetly chatting away with Quickdraw, I sensed a sharp spike of killing intent. Cold sweat trickled down my cheek.
And the hunter targeting me knew that I had sensed it. I had to move now. If I wanted to survive!
As I hurriedly prepared a Silence spell, the hunter pulled back the bolt and aimed his barrel right at me.
"Care for a shot too, Crazy Wizard?"
"Stop it. I know exactly what you're aiming for and what effect you're after. I've got all your tricks figured out, so cut it out...!"
Twitch. Yuna's ears perked up.
Bad sign. Pingbalrez's next line. I had to block that next line no matter what.
Pew.
I fired off a stealthy Silence spell, but Pingbalrez pulled an artifact from his pocket and blocked it. Then, he pulled the trigger.
"It's been a while."
"I said stop-!!"
Click.
I racked the Virtual Shotgun and pointed it at Pingbalrez. He quietly clasped his hands behind his head and dropped flat to the floor. But it was already too late.
Pingbalrez's words had pierced right through a vital spot.
"...What does 'it's been a while' even mean?"
Chilling.
A gaze so icy it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I too quietly clasped my hands behind my head and flattened myself to the floor. Yuna's stare scared me way more than any gun.
Yuna prodded my shin with her foot as I lay there, speaking softly.
"What does it mean, hmm?"
"There were circumstances, you see."
Pingbalrez piled on like a ghost.
"There were indeed circumstances."
"You, stay quiet."
"You two... dating?"
"No, it's not like that. He's a friend... no, not a secret friend or anything."
I barely talked my way out by saying we'd been stuck together for days as a condition. The scariest part was that it was all under the threat of "When are you gonna make good on that promised TS date?"
She'd keep dealing damage until I paid up.
A few days earlier, Yuna and Pingbalrez had returned from their business trip. After that, things had settled back into the usual routine. I went to classes, he goofed off, and Yuna played around.
Once the regular schedule wrapped up, we'd all gather in the lab. Then we'd huddle together on the sofa and watch Enbus's heart-pounding Tower of Trials raid streams.
The seating positions changed every day. Me on the bottom with Yuna on top and Pingbalrez beside was the default. Or Pingbalrez on me with Yuna on him, or Yuna on Pingbalrez with me beside, or occasionally me on top of both Yuna and Pingbalrez.
And today, it was Pingbalrez and Yuna on top of me.
Your imagination might be running wild, but it was just the two of them sitting on my back while I lay sprawled on the sofa.
Pingbalrez and Yuna chatted amiably.
"How far have the little ones cleared?"
"Floor 6! The Luna-Enbus coupling is so fun."
"The Tower Master has some serious bad shipping luck. They don't seem like they'd ever get together, no matter how you look at it."
"Huh, why...? This has to be canon, right?!"
Yuna always focused on the couplings, while Pingbalrez devoured everything indiscriminately. Ships one day, raid strats the next, lore the day after.
Lately, he'd taken a real interest in the martial arts themselves.
"Input data into the AI and it spits out martial arts? Astonishing magic. The potential for development is endless."
"Thanks for the praise, but hands off my butt. That's sexual harassment."
"That was praise too. You'll make me some custom martial arts someday, right?"
"Already working on it."
I was, but no meaningful results yet. The insane Pingbalrez who wielded martial arts would need more simmering before unleashing on the world.
Now, about the Tower of Trials.
The raid team parried James's insta-kill cheat shots to conquer floor 6. I hadn't planned to ramp up the difficulty that much originally—what can I say, difficulty should be fluid.
Since Enbus was the hidden piece protagonist, I'd prepped the latter floors with gimmick fights you could clear by outsmarting specs rather than raw power. If Enbus had entered the duel, plain bullets would've killed James outright.
But then Crimson Tower mage Selbie pulled Bennett's party in, changing everything.
The reverse heroes found the original challenges too easy. So I jacked up the difficulty in real-time—just enough for them to shine.
Bennett's party lived up to the hype. Battle-hardened as they were, their skills were top-notch. Remembering how I'd wrecked their session still stung my conscience a bit, but watching them eased the guilt somewhat.
I don't buy into "ends justify the means."
That moment when it turns into, Well, now you're a super-genius wizard, so dying in that accident worked out, didn't it?
Floors 7 and 8 fell swiftly too.
Enbus looked troubled watching Bennett beat down his own mentor, or Luna and Niore bonded over their "sharp eyesight" club, chatting away.
The more I saw of Luna, the more I liked her.
"...You like her?!"
"...Not like that."
As a teaching assistant, I mean.
Wonder if she'd join my lab if I kidnapped her, paid her, gave her a lab spot, and threw in some metaphors.
Enbus... he had shades of Roderus, as expected from brothers. Narrow-minded, heavy on the jealousy. They both feared their own incompetence.
Roderus's manifested as the prickly "you're a commoner" route toward others.
Enbus's was self-directed prickliness—the "I'd sell my soul for power" route. Total sword-in-the-stone type.
Bennett seemed pretty concerned about Enbus.
He'd pretend not to care but looked out for him—demoing precise mana control up close or commentating fight flows.
But to Enbus, it landed like damage. With his mana circuits busted, it was like mocking a legless guy: "Jump farther like this."
Enbus trembled at Bennett's unintentional jabs.
But when he first encountered martial arts, he'd seen it as a way out of his rut—and harbored a clear romance for the arts themselves.
Fascination with the beauty of human movement.
Enraptured by Luna's dances, grinding practice daily without fail—all stemmed from that romance at his core. That's why I paid attention to Enbus.
Just blinded by inferiority for a moment.
So... I prepped Combat AI Heavenly Demon. A meticulously crafted close-combat monster. I wanted to show him the pinnacle of martial arts I could realize.
Super cool stuff.
Maybe then he'd realize: I do love martial arts deep down. Life's tough, but drowning in negativity means missing the good stuff.
Did Bennett feel something similar?
"Life is hard, storms rage, brutal waves crash to devour you anytime. But don't lose yourself."
Bennett passed Enbus the third most valuable words he remembered. For reference, first and second were "I love you"s from his heroines.
But Enbus just looked uncomfortable.
"...What's with the cryptic wisdom?"
"Just etch an adult's words into your soul."
"...!! I'm an adult too! How much older are you anyway...!!"
Watching Enbus throw a tantrum from across the monitor, me, Yuna, and Pingbalrez wore similar expressions. The "I see..." brush-off kind.
Luna came up with the floor 9 strat. She suggested smashing the orbital elevator base and using the building like a hammer to pulverize the ground.
She has to join my lab.
Skipped floor 10 due to circumstances. The boss there was Evil God cum Espoir de l'Éternal Dark cum Cute Outer God, but when I asked if Bennett wanted a round two, he passed.
Could've said "Pass and your military service ends," but I magnanimously forgave him. Yuna and the Tower Master returning from their trip had me in high spirits.
I puppeteered the giant to recite the scripted lines, opening the Tower's hidden door. The party stepped in.
A snap of fingers split the world. 6v1 is fine, but 1v1 showdowns are the real flavor for events like this. Each meets their own Heavenly Demon.
Heavenly Demon Horde, begin.
Stark void of blackness.
A man stood on a floating rock chunk, eyes closed. His black hair hung messily, beard unkempt, covering his jaw.
Muscles thick. The bulk visible under his training robes screamed condensed power. He evoked a bear.
Yet, despite some intimidation—no overwhelming aura.
Ogre had double the muscle mass, and Jay the sword-dancer felt more menacing vibe-wise.
For someone the beggar had warned about and tested to control entry, he just seemed like a skilled martial artist. Rare, but findable.
That gave courage. Enbus spoke cautiously.
"...Are you the Heavenly Demon?"
"......"
Slide.
Eyes opened.
Then Enbus knew.
One glance told him why this man was a terror. Gaze Insight activated sharply.
His eyes moved with mechanical chill. Philtrum, temples, carotid—scanning vitals in a flash. Not just that.
Habits, ingrained techniques, muscle form, even emotions.
"......"
Enbus felt like thousands stared through his naked skin. Even organs beyond. He was a fish on the slab, dissected and mounted.
Goosebumps erupted.
But he steeled himself. Just a gaze. He hadn't sparred yet. And he hadn't come to win.
This death-optional place was for witnessing lofty martial prowess.
"...I am Enbus Redburn. I seek... to learn a technique."
He spat his purpose like a reminder. Amid the prickling gaze, Enbus clenched his fist. Readying Bursting Cascade stance.
A form he'd refined with Luna's help. Time and effort climbing the tower had forged this martial art unique to them.
Observing it, the Heavenly Demon spoke quietly.
"Inefficient."
"...What was that?"
Not mockery. Just stating fact. Then proving it with body.
Heavenly Demon mirrored the stance perfectly at first. Identical to Enbus. Then refined it gradually.
Slight more space on right foot. Yeah, that might be better.
Widen arm gap. Good idea. Worth noting. Why didn't I think of that?
Fine-tune finger positions. Adjust toe angle. Changes rapid. Intent unclear.
Loosen shoulder tension. Unlock knees. Redistribute calf power. Balance weight properly. How? And more...
Like maggot to pupa to butterfly, the technique bloomed instantly.
Much improved.
Embarrassingly so—enough to make his efforts feel futile.
"......"
What to call that feeling?
Stolen in seconds, upgraded to unreachable heights. Chaos gripped Enbus.
He felt diminished.
"...H-Here I come. Take this—!!"
To the silent Heavenly Demon, Enbus hesitated then unleashed his fist. Bursting Cascade. Burst mana at joints for propulsion—unimaginable power and speed.
Bang—!!
Fired. As it flew, a butterfly alighted lightly atop.
Tap.
Heavenly Demon's "touch" deflected it effortlessly. Enbus froze.
Not overwhelming force. Even a seven-year-old could muster the strength to parry Bursting Cascade.
Meaning a kid could counter it if skilled.
Unfair. Like battling a nightmare—designed for the dream foe to always win.
World crumbling.
......
Meanwhile, Luna saw something else in the same being. He embodied her ideal war god. Knowing all, doing all.
Proof it was achievable, with her own eyes.
"More."
"Come."
Fists met void.
Yet not futile. Etch those slick deflections, priceless time to internalize.
Witnessed turning Bursting Cascade to breeze. Born of rigorous analysis—evident in his eyes.
His pupils like hers, just superior. Same direction.
Challenge again.
Follow that, dreams attainable. Snag even fragments of that prowess—enough. More than sufficient for her goals.
......
Thoughts crossed.
Luna: That's it. I must follow that.
Enbus: Impossible. No way I can do that.
One saw a towering wall, another a ladder.
The brief spar ended.
"How was it? Enjoy yourselves?"
He appeared like drifting mist. Rubbing his lower back with his knuckles like it bore a heavy load—comical pose.
Bennett's party, catching breath and reviewing the fight, asked seriously.
"...Crazy Wizard. That Heavenly Demon thing—it's really okay?"
"Properly sealed, right? Won't break out?"
-To beat that, we'd need all-out firepower. No techniques, just wide-area bombardment.
The Crazy Wizard waved it off.
"No worries, it's an illusion. I'm controlling it fine. Heck, useful too. Like... that professor sparring session? Used it then."
Bennett's Crazy Wizard translator kicked in. Swap "illusion" for "dimensional magic."
=> No sweat. Locked tight with dimensional magic, safe enough for kid training. Alex thought I was sword-pro; outsourced to Heavenly Demon.
Bennett and Tara nodded, worries eased.
"...Alright, I trust you. You'll handle it."
"If you say so... Man, so annoying. Blocked everything, right Bennett? Niore, you catch one?"
-Just scratches. Seemed slow to weird attacks.
"Uh, Miss Niore. Details, please."
As the Crazy Wizard politely requested feedback from Niore on Heavenly Demon's deep-learning blind spot,
Enbus stared blankly at the sky, spaced out. Luna, hyped to discuss improvements, saw it and alarms blared in her head.
"...My efforts... all for nothing...?"
"H-Hey, Enbus? You okay? Your speech is... normal?"
Selbie eyed Enbus's off vibe worriedly too. Even his shtick broke. He's gonna pop pills like that!
What to do? Knock him out first? Luna cautiously clenched her fist.
"Ah, Luna... Enbus? Got a proposal if you're up for it. One of you could tour the Heavenly Demon's hometown. Tech limits it to just one, though..."
"......"
In this situation?!