Chapter 171
Chapter 171
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 171
Chapter Title: Root (1)
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[You have entered the 3rd floor.]
[Humans are social animals. They take on different roles in their relationships with various people, wearing different masks each time. We call these masks 'personas.']
[Consciousness is the aggregate of such countless personas. Remove all the personas and open the 'door.']
If the Theo on the 2nd floor had been a shadow-like figure with the complete opposite appearance.
Then what awaited on the 3rd floor were Theos, but in various forms of Theo.
There was one with an abnormally large face, one that was a giant over five meters tall, one holding a spear instead of a sword, one draped in a robe like a mage, and even one as tiny as a fairy.
"The one with the big face looks terrified, so it's probably suffering from megalomania. The giant seems to specialize in my brute strength aspect. The spear likely represents the possibility of wielding a different weapon instead of a sword... It's fascinating to see how 'I' can be so diverse."
There were even more with diverse appearances.
Theo clad in Krimhild's armor.
Theo in a half-human, half-dragon form.
Even Theo wrapped in black shadows like the Spirit Dragon.
'More precisely, they seem to be the concretized items classified under <Talents> in the status window.'
In that case, they were probably Theo's original abilities with the talents further specialized.
Perhaps they even showed the peak form Theo could reach right now with those talents...
'Nice?'
Theo smiled instead.
Nothing pleased him more than seeing a way to grow stronger.
[■■■■■ has become a training ma■■■■■ ■ ■ ■■■ ■■■■■!]
[■■ ■■■■ ■■!]
[■■■■ welcomes you■■ ■■ ■ ■■ ■■■ with great enthusiasm!]
[The War God lineage■■■■ welcomes■■ ■■■■ ■■ ■■■.]
.
"...?"
Theo tilted his head at the gods' messages reacting from an odd place but quickly returned to reality.
Because the personas began to move.
Flash-
The spear wielder and the Theo in Krimhild's armor charged first.
Then the fairy and the mage chanted strange spells while snapping their fingers in the air, and the half-dragon and the giant swung their swords fiercely.
Rumble!
Boom!
Lightning poured from the sky, and sword energy swept across the ground.
Amid the attacks pouring down densely like a spiderweb.
Theo floated three swords—Moonblade, Dragon Slayer, and Spirit Wonder—in the air and infused his eyes with spirit energy.
Flash-
[Chronograph begins to wind.]
A faint clock face appeared beneath Theo's feet, its minute hand slowly moving.
Then the outside world grew as still as if frozen.
The lightning about to strike Theo and the sword energy poised to bisect him all halted.
Of course, time hadn't completely stopped.
It was a result of the consciousness world accelerating.
But thanks to it, Theo could spot multiple gaps amid the densely packed lightning and sword energy.
At that instant, the inspiration from the sword orb maximized, turning his mind white-hot.
The gaps he found connected into lines.
They intertwined to form planes, and Theo stepped onto them without hesitation.
In this moment, the battlefield fell entirely into Theo's palm.
Scree!
The three divine swords flew.
Flash-
The moment something seemed to flash and external time returned to normal,
Boom boom boom!
The lightning and sword energy all narrowly grazed past Theo, striking the innocent floor and walls.
With just a single step, he had rendered all attacks futile in a divine display.
And then,
Slash!
With a short slicing sound, the personas clutched their necks in unison.
Spurt!
Blood sprayed out.
The bisected bodies collapsed to the floor simultaneously.
Behind them, the three swords resonated.
Hum, hummm!
'As expected, it works.'
Following ego sword control with the divine sword, now even the harmony of Chronograph and the sword orb.
Combining the techniques he had honed was producing explosive synergy far beyond expectations.
Enough to overturn all his existing talents at once.
Flash!
Theo moved on to the 4th floor.
[00:08:41]
[00:08:40]
.
35 seconds.
The time to conquer each floor was speeding up even more.
* * *
Torkel agonized.
'What do I do?'
Julius's momentum had already seized the entire perimeter around the White Tower.
Though he himself was mentioned as one of the candidates to fill the Anti-Dragon vacancy, it stung that he still couldn't compare to the Demon Dragon.
But if he backed down here, the Black Iron Knights' morale would plummet to rock bottom.
The secret alliance with the Crimson Sword Knights would fall apart, and the northerners would whisper that the Black Iron Knights were beneath the White Dragon Knights.
And after that?
It was obvious as day.
The other candidates would pounce, convinced they were right.
'That absolutely can't happen.'
Building was hard, but crumbling took an instant.
A candidate who bent even once could no longer be a candidate.
Especially for Torkel, who prided himself on a lifetime record of invincibility, he absolutely could not yield here.
'I didn't plan to reveal this yet...!'
His agony was brief.
Torkel unleashed the potential he had tightly sealed in his Aura Hall, as if declaring he wouldn't lose.
Rumble!
In that instant, thunder roared.
The Black Iron Knights' gazes turned to the rear.
"Captain!"
"Captain! Have you finally made up your mind!"
"At last...! We will follow the captain's will...!"
"No. 'Not yet.' But."
A bluish glow leaked from beneath the deeply pressed black helmet.
"I can show the Demon Dragon a portion."
Torkel's aura expanded, pushing back Julius's energy fiercely.
An impressive clash that seemed evenly matched at first glance.
Rumble-
Rrrrr...
The auras collided, stirring intense vibrations and sparking everywhere.
"You've got some hidden power, huh?"
Julius tilted his head in genuine surprise.
"There was an unexpected connection."
"A connection, you say. Sure, that's fine. But if you thought you'd challenge me with just this, I'm a bit disappointed."
Julius moved to swing the sword he held.
The magic densely condensed, on the verge of exploding—a sight chilling enough to make one's spine tingle.
Torkel raised the spear in his hand high.
The Black Iron Knights hurriedly clustered around Torkel.
The Demon Dragon's claws were that fearsome.
But right then.
Flash!
Suddenly, light lit up on the 2nd floor of the White Tower.
A brilliant glow as if trying to pierce the dark midnight sky.
The 1st floor, and now the 2nd?
Julius and Torkel's gazes reflexively turned there.
But that wasn't the end.
Soon the 3rd floor, then the 4th.
"What in the world...!"
The 5th, 6th, 7th floors...
With each floor lighting up in sequence, the Black Iron Knights' faces grew rigid.
Even their black armor appeared white under the light.
"Conquering the mystery this quickly?"
Torkel actually knew the White Tower's true nature well.
A relic of the ancient dragon.
Like a scepter one must obtain to seize Ragnar's throne.
Naturally, unlocking its secrets would be extremely difficult, and the trials once begun would consume considerable time—which was why he had tried to claim the White Tower's domain, excluding the natives.
Even at the cost of clashing with the White Dragon Knights.
Even turning the black dragon linked to Julius and the Plum Palace Lord into potential enemies—it was worth it.
But if Theo snatched the relic inside here?
It would be like preparing a feast for someone else.
The biggest problem, though, was that the speed of the floors lighting up was accelerating.
The 2nd floor took about 40 seconds, the 3rd around 30—but the 4th and 5th seemed even shorter.
Despite the upper floors surely being more difficult.
"Now!"
But Julius, unwilling to give Torkel time to think, redirected the condensed magic not at Torkel, but elsewhere.
Toward the Crimson Sword Knights.
'Damn!'
Torkel realized too late and turned his head, but the Demon Dragon's claws had already swept through the Crimson Sword Knights.
"Argh!"
"Ugh!"
Winterer's boasted family head guards shattered in one blow, scattering everywhere.
The formation wasn't completely broken, but small gaps were inevitable.
Amore and Squad 1, waiting in advance, charged forward.
"Alright, let's go, boys!"
"Uahaha! Been waiting for those words!"
"I've wanted to smash those arrogant bastards' faces!"
Just then, a wyvern circling the sky attempted to descend, and they mounted it so naturally, stirring up the Crimson Sword Knights massively.
"Grab her!"
Erika's rescue happened right then.
Erika grabbed Squad 1 vice-captain's hand and hastily boarded the white wyvern.
"Mission accomplished!"
"Alright, back into the air!"
The white wyverns taking off into the sky en masse after completing their task was a spectacular sight.
Thanks to it, the Crimson Sword Knights could only gaze futilely at the sky like dogs chasing chickens.
"We can't fall behind either."
"Let's show them who the true strongest in Ragnar is this time."
The remaining Squads 2, 3, 4, and 5 charged forward in unison.
White wyverns descended, and they mounted.
The low-altitude flight in formation looked like a massive fortress charging.
Boom boom!
Neighhh-
"Reins! Grab the reins!"
"Don't let them through!"
The Black Iron Knights huddled tightly inward, while the White Dragon Knights split by squad to sweep the outskirts or attempt breakthroughs.
The tactics the Black Iron Knights mainly used were reversed.
They held out decently, but as Squad 1 swung wide to encircle the rear, the formation crumbled in an instant.
And then,
Boom!
Julius and Torkel clashed in the center.
Flash!
Right on cue, the 8th floor lit up.
Torkel's heart pounded fiercely.
Thump thump thump-
'I have to do something.'
Determined not to lose the relic like this, Torkel tried to push Julius away and turn toward the tower.
"Where do you think you're going?"
But Julius pressed his sword relentlessly, with no intention of letting Torkel go.
Since things had come to this, he planned to help Theo fully conquer the White Tower.
"Get out of the way."
"Didn't I say it's already too late for that?"
"Then all that's left is real war."
"You're greatly mistaken."
Torkel gritted his teeth and charged head-on at Julius.
Julius, meanwhile, looked surprised for a moment before smirking coldly.
"This isn't war. It's just an uncle teaching his insolent nephew a lesson."
Boom!
The explosion spread everywhere.
White Dragon Knights and Black Iron Knights.
The moment two of Ragnar's proud elite clashed.
With the Crimson Sword Knights joining in, the conflict rapidly escalated.
To the point where casualties were inevitable amid the intensifying battle.
Rustle!
"While I was away briefly, everything's gone to hell—!"
"Can't you all stop—!"
With lion roars, two women descended from the sky.
The Plum Palace Lord and the Camellia Palace Lord.
The two dragons landed between the White Dragon Knights and Black Iron Knights, blocking their paths,
Boom!
And someone barely deflected Julius's sword as he lunged to kill Torkel.
"Magnus."
"Demon Dragon. You owe a proper explanation for this commotion. Otherwise, I'll hang you and Torkel by the necks in front of the barracks for inciting discord."
The Illusion Dragon, known as Kyle's greatest retainer among the Nine Dragons.
It was the moment Magnus Ragnar, captain of the Azure Guard, appeared.
And then,
"The mystery, huh? So that's what Torkel was after. Can't let something like that go to some punk who isn't even an adult."
"You're really going?"
"Of course. It'd be weirder not to."
"Fine, do what you want. But I'm pretending I don't know about this. Handle it yourself, brother."
"Heh. Don't regret it later. I'm not sharing any spoils this time."
"I said handle it."
Another of the five major candidates.
Kishar slipped quietly into the White Tower, deploying her specialty stealth technique.