Chapter 331
Chapter 331
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 331
Chapter Title: S6. Turbulent Waves -4
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One, this resource is something I know well.
Two, I'm under restrictions that make it tricky for me, but Aisha can fully unleash her ability to manipulate and edit information.
Three, the magical girl can be put to work on tasks like mana-infused stone cutting and mana welding.
Four, a scientist-slash-engineer who's built giant robots before oversees the whole process.
With those solid grounds, we were able to swiftly transform the Heavenly Demon Vault into the heart-throbbing Heavenly Demon Funhouse.
We swapped the gimmick where jiangshi burst out from sealed walls into a puzzle room series you couldn't escape without solving OO. Arrow traps became spike traps instead.
For the occasional unprepared martial artists we ran into, we'd improvise on the spot to fool them. Things progressed smoothly like that, and just as factions-crossing flirty couples started popping up left and right...
"Daddy."
"Yeah?"
"Duck."
Thwack! Before I could even lower my head, Aisha grabbed my hair and yanked it down. At the same instant, a chilling sword qi whistled over my head.
Slice-!
A few strands of my hair scattered, severed.
It was unmistakably a hostile strike. I looked up to spot the culprit who'd flung the sword qi from afar. It was the Righteous Alliance Leader we'd met at the inn.
Jingle. His earrings swayed.
"What are you scheming here in the Heavenly Demon Vault?"
"......"
"......"
Love variety show.
"And you've got the Shura Blood Ghost Rakshasa White Heavenly Demon right beside you. Have you defected to the demonic cult?"
I spat out a hasty summary.
"We're neither righteous sects, unorthodox clans, nor demonic cult. We've gathered here to prevent the bloodbath that will unfold in the Heavenly Demon Vault. No matter which side claims the Golden Key, war is inevitable."
"Go on."
"So we thought we should avert the fight and open a stage for harmony. This is a transnational catastrophe that ignores all factions, so until we resolve the Heavenly Demon's Curse, we must unite our strength."
Silence fell. A tense, one-wrong-move-and-it's-over quiet.
Our stance was clear. Now we had to gauge the Alliance Leader's reaction and adapt. Aisha and I didn't need hand signals; a single glance conveyed everything. She was subtly positioning herself to cover blind spots.
If the Leader said something like, "Even so, I can't ally with the demonic cult," it'd be all-out assault. We'd subdue him, tie him up tight, and stash him somewhere.
"......You have a point."
But unexpectedly, the Leader was gracious.
"I've worried that pointless blood would flow. I gave up finding a way to prevent our clashes, but with things as they are, I'll cooperate."
"......Alliance Leader, this Zhuge Chae-rin thanks you for your wise judgment."
"It worked, Boss! This is the best outcome, right?!"
"......"
I glanced at Aisha. She stared back with a somewhat sullen expression. It felt too smooth, suspiciously so.
He hadn't even asked what exactly we were doing. He'd clearly checked the modifications to the Heavenly Demon Vault on his way here. But still, weren't the questions too sparse?
Building a love variety set blending righteous, unorthodox, and demonic factions—was that really no big deal in his eyes? I would've grilled them for at least ten minutes.
But hey, free help. Hard to complain.
With the Righteous Alliance Leader's tacit approval, we ramped up the Heavenly Demon Vault renovations. When we ran into righteous sect members en route, we brushed them off using the Leader's authority.
And then the moment arrived.
Turning the Vault's deadly traps into heart-throbbing attractions meant challengers progressed much faster. People who would've died to traps were surviving now.
Thus, half a day after entering the Heavenly Demon Vault, the righteous, unorthodox, and demonic factions all reached the deepest chamber housing the Golden Key at the same time—
The martial artists from righteous, unorthodox, and demonic factions formed a triangle, drawing their weapons in standoff. Shiiiing, shiiiing—the eerie scrape of steel echoed sharply through the chamber.
The faction securing the Golden Key would escape the curse's liberation, while the other two suffered agonizing deaths under its horrific power.
A warrior from the famed Namgung righteous clan drew his sword and bellowed.
"You vile spawn of unorthodox and demonic scum! You mudfish stirring up chaos in the martial world! We'll pass judgment on you here!"
His righteous fury stood straight as bamboo, prompting the unorthodox and demonic artists to ready their signature weapons and ramp up their killing intent. But one among them couldn't.
A demonic swordmaster clutched his massive blade, gazing sadly at the warrior with hurt eyes, murmuring.
"H-hey, you righteous peon. Was our friendship... all fake...?"
"Wh-what...?"
"Yeah, I knew it. You despicable righteous bastard... It was all lies! Righteous folk are all two-faced hypocrites...!"
"N-no, that's not."
The steadfast bamboo wilted like overcooked seaweed. The warrior who'd stepped up first staggered like a limp seaweed strip, deflating the mood. An awkward, third-wheel-in-a-lovers'-quarrel unease filled the chamber.
The Unorthodox Blood Phoenix couldn't stand it and stepped forward. They were supposed to stake their lives in brutal combat now—how could the vibe be this off?
"Ha! You righteous pricks. Spout all that grand justice nonsense, but you're here scavenging for the Golden Key 'cause you cherish your hides, aren't you? Pathetic. This Blood Phoenix will rip off your thick masks and expose your true faces!"
"......"
But when a righteous sound arts master stared her down pipa in hand, the Blood Phoenix backpedaled under the pressure. She'd been twistered in that game before.
"Y-you're... you're excluded... Yeah, everyone except your family, relatives, friends, and acquaintances—I'll rip their faces off!"
"......"
"A-and fellow provincials too!"
The second unorthodox artist trying to pull aggro flopped too, making the atmosphere even weirder. The other martial artists were catching on now. They weren't alone in this mess.
They exchanged sneaky glances or sidled toward their flirty partners. A single wartime romance might be tragic, but with most entangled, it felt like a sitcom.
Finally, a demonic swordmaster stepped up. Matching failure left him unpaired, and he'd passed intact traps, boiling his malice to the brim.
Couldn't let these crazy lovebirds ruin the battlefield with their nonsense!
Kill one, and it'd spark the frenzy. Once blood scented the air, self-preservation would drive them to slaughter each other!
And as he moved to swing—
Grip. A slender hand crushed his shoulder.
"Hey. Read the room."
"Guh, ack! Sh-Shura Blood Ghost Rakshasa White Heavenly Demon! Defending them now?!"
"......Don't call me by my title. Read the room."
"But you told me to say it full before...?"
The spark of chaos was snuffed.
Now fighting or not felt awkward. Only uneasy silence and glances passed wordlessly. Perfect timing.
The crazy wizard stepped forward to steer the mood—but
Jingle. With his earrings swaying, the Righteous Alliance Leader beat him to it.
"Enough pointless fighting."
"......Alliance Leader!"
"Thanks to this young hero's arrangements, we have a chance to talk. The Golden Key leads to mutual destruction, so let's unite against the curse instead of clashing."
The air shifted with the Leader's proposal. Those gathered thought maybe, just maybe, peace and harmony were possible.
And who knew? United, the three factions might find a real counter to the Heavenly Demon's Curse.
"H-how can we trust... Hmph, fine. Guess even righteous scum has a decent one or two... "
The inevitable discord was quashed.
So what to do with the Golden Key? The Alliance Leader introduced the crazy wizard.
"This man belongs to no faction—righteous, unorthodox, or demonic. Yet he has ties to all sides. He created this harmony for us. How about entrusting the Golden Key to him?"
Oh Hye-in, U Chae-rin, and Aisha jumped on the flow.
"I stake my name on it. Boss is trustworthy!"
"Zhuge Chae-rin vouches. He's a man of honor, so righteous heroes can trust him."
"Oppose, and you're enemy of this Shura Blood Ghost."
The proposal passed. The crazy wizard swept his gaze over the crowd and approached the Golden Key. His expression was ambivalent. He'd felt that nagging unease all along.
But whatever—the Golden Key was the key item. Clear condition unknown, but touching it should trigger the next hint.
So thinking, the crazy wizard grasped it.
Then.
Fwoooosh—!!
Dark light erupted from the Golden Key. No benevolence there. Pure malice.
"Wh-what? Wait, this is...!"
Crack, crunch!
The malicious data coursed through the crazy wizard's body, reshaping it. Limbs swelled or twisted uncontrollably, changes beyond control.
"Damn it, Daddy! Let go of that key!"
Aisha's warning came too late.
The crazy wizard's vision went black—
Vision blurry, ears ringing.
So... I grabbed the Golden Key. Malicious data exploded like a claymore. Was I careless?
No. Not careless. No sudden kid turning monster last floor, no fake Golden Door screwing us over.
This floor... something changed. Something crucial. Weird.
Through ringing ears, the Righteous Alliance Leader's roar pierced.
"He absorbed the Golden Key's power! I opened my heart to his peace talk, but it was all lies. Forgive me, fellow martial artists. I failed to see the deceit!"
"......Wh-what do you mean, Leader?! He fell for a trap!"
"Trap? No! Look at him. No inner power at the inn, now he's got monster strength! Despairing his talentless nature, he schemed for the key all along!"
"That's ridiculous...!"
Well, well.
Right—the Leader had goaded me toward the Golden Key. Was this the setup? I got it's a trap. But fine.
The frame job's kindergarten-level.
No evidence anyway. Give me a moment, and I'd turn the mood. I opened my mouth, tongue ready.
"Krek..."
......?
"Keruk?"
What the fuck.
No words came. Just gross beastly gurgles like phlegm. Panicking, I looked around—Aisha held out a hand mirror.
My reflection... a pint-sized kaiju.
"Kreuk?"
Human-sized Great Monster, about two meters. Power scaled down to pinky-nail size too.
Freaking out, eyes darting. Woke up as monster? This... Rodrus's magical girl session sequence? Twisted for this?
"Daddy, we gotta bail first. Parasitic brother-face turning monster's got humans on edge. They're drawing swords."
"......"
Fuck.
Yeah, escape the Heavenly Demon Vault first. While they're hesitating. If I could talk, maybe, but like this? Tough.
"S-so we gotta catch it?"
"Absorbed the Golden Key right in front of us. Turned into a nasty... grotesque monster. Leader's right, no?"
"Grab it first, then... It's fleeing!"
Thud!
Squishy slime hand smacked the wall, triggering the mechanism. Section spun, revealing secret passage. I bolted.
Whish, darts or arrows flew. Braced for a few hits before the wall closed—but
Whish whish whoosh! Pfft!
"......Kek!"
They veered off. Aim lines skewed.
Right—Great Monster has target-null ability. Kicking in a bit!
The slight gap—Aisha moved.
"Dragon Scale Shura Burst. Don't follow unless you wanna explode."
Fwibbibbibbi—!
Aisha sprayed explosive scales to cover my rear as we fled. Thinking while running. This setup... pure malice.
Recall: Reading U Chae-rin's data for clear condition? [Access prohibited until Act 2 begins]. Hidden on purpose.
Then NPC'd us into Heavenly Demon Vault... stepped on Golden Key landmine. "Fuck you, player" structure.
And this session's owner is Yuna.
"Kreeeee—!"
"What, Daddy?!"
Wondered if Yuna hated me, treating so harsh. Heart-wrenching cry.
"Kruuuu."
"What're you saying?!"
But calmly... couldn't be Yuna's trap. Evidence.
If Yuna's, no mixing magical girl, mecha, guns into wuxia. She'd never hybridize pure wuxia she loves.
Thud thud. Splish splosh.
Bursting from secret passage outside, night world. Bright full moon lolled in sky, gazing down.
Situation fucked, sky's gorgeously pretty—pisses me off more.
Got it. Who dug this pit. Who's tampering with Yuna's tower to oust me.
On tower floor 1—I met Yuna's spitting image.
She fired Subtraction at me and Yuri Lancester; Yuri blocked, sent me upstairs.
Yuna's double. Her. She set this trap.
"......Daddy, theorizing's fine, but stay alert."
"Grurk...?"
"Look at the moon. Monster incoming."
Before the full moon, witch on broom shimmered.
Mature Yuna... but eyes brimmed hostile to me. Against moonlight, witch murmured in Yuna's voice.
"Yuna knows you're a monster. Can't leave you be, so sealed your mana, capped physicals. Now trapped in Great Monster frame."
"Keak."
"You know what that means. Gained Great Monster trait—now you're an NPC too. Can't escape this Tower of Illusions. Can't speak."
Kiiiiii—!!
World twisted, space crumpled. Crimson-black mass spiraled in witch's grasp. Danger sensors screamed red sirens.
Even Aisha sweated, tense. That witch's output—full strength me couldn't guarantee win.
Witch aimed countless arms from pointed hat, declared.
Beeeeep—!
Dozens of hands flashed Subtraction light.
"......Kyaaaaak!!"
"Dodge?! Don't need to yell, I know, Daddy!"
Find an opening.