Chapter 341
Chapter 341
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 341
Chapter Title: Epilogue: What the Tower of Illusion Left Behind -2
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Honestly, I thought I could beat him down and subdue him in no time.
"Sleep Arrow."
I figured the very next scene would show Enbus snoring away peacefully after I distracted him with a club to the eyes and then slammed an Illusion Magic sleep spell right between his brows.
Sleep Arrow
Illusion Magic: Lulls target to sleep after distracting with a club strike
"Hup!"
Splat-!
Things got weird the moment he shattered my Sleep Arrow with a single kiai shout.
"No way, how did you just break my magic...?"
"Urgh...!"
Enbus's form splintered in all directions, and three translucent copies of him swung their blades along wildly different trajectories. I hastily raised my guard and started dodging maneuvers.
But it was a feint. The clone Enbus's wavered as if deciding whether to strike before scattering like mist. And that's when the real attack thrust in through the gap.
Clang!
I shifted the skin of my right arm into Great Beast Form and hardened it to deflect the stab. Then, using the longsword's blade as a launchpad for my fist, I slid forward and unleashed a punch.
Thud.
The guy blocked my fist using the sword's crossguard.
He scattered like a cloud. And reappeared three steps back.
I was utterly dumbfounded by this bizarre flow of combat and turned to Yuri. I half-wondered if I was dreaming. But she looked shocked too.
"His attack options have become far more varied since I fought him. To me, it looks like an application of the Imperial Sword Form. He's concentrating information at a single point in space to dismantle the opponent's Illusion Magic..."
"Concentrating information along specific paths to use it like pseudo-Illusion Magic, right? It's an evolution from the old Imperial Sword Form that flooded the entire area with information overload—he can now wield it selectively."
"It's like taking a power he used to dump at 100% brute force nonstop and now dividing it into 30% chunks for precise application."
"Even so, Enbus is still Enbus... Ack!"
My body locked up. A crushing pressure like the world bearing down targeted my joints with pinpoint accuracy. It was the original usage of the Imperial Sword Form... but far more refined.
This was more annoying than just a heavy blanket press. The human body creaks and binds up when the joints are locked.
Normally, when Enbus used this mezzer, he himself would be immobilized too.
But the efficiency gains had given him just enough leeway to move—slowly, like a snail. Still, dozens of times faster than me, completely frozen.
"Receive the strike of this Lord's unavoidable blade."
Sloooowly, Enbus's sword rose. I tracked his upper stance with my eyes and thought.
This bastard... why'd he have to get so badass?
"His Metamorphosis ability was already powerful in its own right. Up until now, he lacked experience and maturity to bring out its full potential, but this... 'Heavenly Demon' state. It's arrogant, but just as seasoned."
"What is this, some ally-turned-enemy buff...?"
"You gonna just take it like that? I get that you're enamored with the Great Beast's physical prowess, but I really don't want to see you get hit."
"......"
Fine then. Time to end the martial arts playtime.
"Release limit."
Click.
Fwooooosh-!
I pointed my right index finger and reverted it to Great Beast Form. The full body was 150 meters tall, so even a single finger was over 10 meters long.
"What sorcery is this—Guh!"
No matter how masterful the Imperial Sword Form, how could it block this much mass?
Boom-!
Enbus got swept up in a torrent of white slime and hurled into a building wall. In the process, I injected sleep magic via minor tentacles. Subdued.
I reverted my finger as I approached Enbus.
It really hit me anew: the user matters more than the raw power of an ability. Just changing how he fought made him feel way stronger.
So, what to do with him now.
I placed my hand on Enbus's forehead and scanned his body thoroughly.
"How is he, Mima? Is he stuck as the Heavenly Demon forever? Does he need physical resocialization?"
"Nah. I can pull all the scattered info back together. I was gonna scrap it originally, but with this combat power, better to modularize it—turn it on and off as needed."
Like adding a transformation function, similar to his brother Roderus.
Since His Highness the Prince declared the Crimson Duke extermination plan, this guy would probably want to shake off his slimy past and stand against his family too. For that, he'd need every bit of combat strength he could get.
I finished the treatment and woke Enbus.
"...P-Professor. What happened? I was clearly up against the tower with my Imperial Sword Form... Urk, my head."
"Listen well, Cheonghwi. Due to the Tower of Illusion's effects, part of the information you generate materialized, creating a mass of data loaded with extreme arrogance and violence—"
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"A demonic art has taken root in your mind. I've sealed it for now, but chant the incantation to release it. It'll boost you about 2.4 times in emergencies, so use it when you're in a pinch."
"I understand perfectly. It's a serendipitous encounter."
It was a serendipitous encounter.
Looking at Enbus's case, I wondered if the other students caught up in the Tower of Illusion might've gained something too. By leveraging the "Illusionization" phenomenon from Yuri's report.
A state where resistance to Illusion Magic drops in certain body parts, causing them to vanish if hit by Illusion Magic. In other words, partial information lifeform-ization.
Right now, I'd locked down all functions and restored a normal body.
But if I taught him how to control it, he could freely morph limbs, hack things... cyberpunk cyborg vibes, flying through the air.
I'll push that later for volunteers.
Enbus took the provisional "Heavenly Demon Transformation" command word from me and chuckled with a delighted grin. Muttering about dark powers and such—he seemed thrilled.
Yeah, real men can't resist going alternate form. I get it.
Business done, time to send him back.
"If that bizarre tower caused changes, then Blue Rose must've gained something too."
"Hold up, Roder... no, Blue Rose was here when shit hit the fan?"
"Yeah. You know that kid she's been hanging with lately? She said she stopped by for treatment."
"......"
Roderus and Kim Luru, the couple, regularly visited the academy for treatment and education of Kim Hayang, born from Faceless's body.
And apparently, they were on-site when this incident blew up. The Tower of Illusion blurs the line between illusion and reality, so...?
Shit, what if.
Her fictional magical girl transformation form materializes permanently, TS-ing her forever or some emergency like that.
"Oh god no, Daesu—at least try it once before you transform!"
They scouted regularly, but as far as I knew, the Daesu-Luru couple hadn't done it yet. They were holding off on starting a family until after the Crimson Duke's head rolled.
But for it to just happen spontaneously?
That future can't happen. Hold on, Daesu—I'm coming!
"Mima, where are you going all of a sudden...?"
"Gonna check on a friend!"
I bolted toward my friend.
Ran through the woods, took a teleport, and arrived at Roderus's love nest. I knocked on the front door, but oddly, no one came.
Maybe he's holed up in grief, starving himself? I picked the lock and went in. Then flung open Roderus's bedroom door.
"Buddy, is your junk okay...?!"
The moment I entered, I heard Kim Luru's shocking line.
"If the transformation won't wear off, we can just make a happy family together!"
"......"
"......!!"
My worried friend was pinned down by Kim Luru, filming a cozy sitcom. That's when I realized my narrow-mindedness and deeply reflected. Gender's irrelevant when they love each other this much.
To him, gender didn't matter anymore.
"S-Sorry. I'll come back later. You two have your sweet love."
"Wait, you crazy wizard! Don't go! Kim Luru's assaulting me right now! Help me!"
"O Daesu, say you'll have them with me!"
"Please think about it, Kim Luru—I'm a man through and through—"
I quietly closed the door.
O Daesu emerged a bit later, looking thoroughly disheveled. Then he started explaining as if nothing happened. Assassin-level cool-headedness.
"...Lucky for me, we didn't get caught in that Tower of Illusion. But just being nearby made my Metamorphosis act up. The transformation won't release. That's why you're here to fix it, right?"
"Mm."
"And if this isn't resolved, I can't operate as a Redburn family spy. Major issue. You rushed here knowing that."
"Hmm."
"Stop grunting and say something!"
Bam!
O Daesu slammed the table with his fist. I crossed my arms, thought a moment, ran some calculations, and finished the diagnosis.
"I can fix it. Just revert the materialized parts back to illusion. Then you can go back to living as a variable TS guy."
"Can you tone down the phrasing?"
"I can fix it, but... your little bro got a power-up event. You did too. This side effect could be useful if leveraged right."
In the end, some illusions gained power and became real—saving energy equal to what it takes to transform.
Precise control could let him amp his Metamorphosis with the saved energy.
I placed a rainbow-glowing metal chunk on the table. About the size of a finger, mysteriously soporific just looking at it.
"What's this?"
"A mineral left where the Tower of Illusion vanished. A new substance that won't exist again unless Yuna blows up once more. I call it Illusion Ore."
It couldn't wholesale convert illusion to reality, but analysis showed it boosted and amplified illusion-based powers.
"By my calculations, this lets you become two people. Use Metamorphosis mana crystallization to make a near-real clone. Think about the perks."
"...No need to juggle dual identities anymore. Station 'Roderus' in the Redburn family, keep 'O Daesu' active."
"Plus, handy in combat too. Roderus, the imperial throne showdown's coming. Prince Irid's timing the Crimson Duke hunt for then. Your time to shine."
"......"
Power's always better for prep.
Accept this TS mess, and it's basically a free power boost. Daily life barely changes.
Just during use, the main body's gender flips. Not reverting to male—summoning a male form.
Roderus pondered long.
"...Once it's all over, can I go back to normal?"
"Sure. But it's like half-driving a nail into a board. Random accident fully embeds it, and you might not remove the board."
"...My answer's set anyway. For this life, I'll risk it. What do I do?"
"I'll explain usage. First—"
In the end, he accepted the new power.
"While I'm here, lemme do Hayang's maintenance before I go. Where's Hayang?"
"Hayang's in her room. End of the hall, left."
"She's doing okay lately? No signs of Faceless resurfacing?"
"Yeah. Listens well, eats her broccoli, no violence. She's matured a ton lately—reading more."
Flows so naturally; he really treats her like his own kid. Maybe 'cause he's starved for family himself. He'd make a gentle, great dad.
I switched to baby-talk mode, cheery like a preschool teacher, and opened the door.
"Hey there, Hayang! The doctor made house calls toda—Damn it."
"Crazy wizard, what happened?"
Hayang drowsily waved with a "Mooong," greeting like always. Behavior was normal, but inside...
Something was missing.
"No soul. It's a meat puppet assembled with Faceless's powers. You never taught Hayang your abilities, right?"
"...No."
"...She's awake. She escaped."
The Crimson Duke family's assassin has revived.
I'm back.
Finally back. It felt like a long dream. Faceless finally awoke from her endless daze, regaining consciousness.
She staggered toward the Redburn Duke's mansion. Revenge. On the swordsman who did this to her, and the corpse flower who used her as a meat shield.
The more she chewed on it, the angrier she got. Why me? Father chose me. How dare they.
Endless inner curses didn't sate her rage. She needed an outlet. Yeah, once back at the mansion, kill someone. Torture them gruesomely, then puppet them.
From now on, never reveal her position. Handle everything via puppets from the shadows.
Blinded by fury, Faceless failed to notice.
'Mooong.'
The mirror's reflection—another self—staring right at her.