Chapter 145: All-Out War (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 145: All-Out War (2)
"The 29th floor... cough! It's the 29th floor! I said the 29th floor! Let me out now, please. I feel like I'm going to drown!"
Ophelia screamed in the most desperate voice in the world.
"The 29th floor..."
Jinhyuk's pupils shook with shock.
The 29th floor of the Tower of Trials.
How could he not know it?
The place targeted by Decasus and the other five families was none other than one of the floors ruled by the 'Empire'.
'Well, this is getting interesting.'
He knew they were plotting something shady, but he never expected their target to be the Empire.
If this woman's words were true, it made sense why they were preparing such a powerful army.
'Targeting a floor lower than where they currently reside is interesting enough, but I'm even more curious about why they're targeting the Empire, of all things, which has such a solid backing.'
A massive battle likely awaited.
In fact, besides the Hungry Ghost that Alice had just dealt with, Devouring Ghosts and even worse things were trying to cross over from beyond the gate.
Jinhyuk spoke again.
"What is your purpose in attacking the Empire?"
"C-cough! P... purpose?"
"Yeah, purpose. There must be a reason you're specifically targeting the 29th floor, right? For example... wanting to weaken the power of the deities on the 48th floor and that single lizard they order around, all to reach the top of the Tower... something like that."
At Jinhyuk's casually tossed-out remark,
"H-how do you know that?!"
Ophelia's face turned completely pale.
She swallowed a few gulps of seawater, but she had no time to worry about that.
That was how forbidden the words that had just come out of Jinhyuk's mouth were.
It was only natural.
Information regarding the upper floors of the Tower was something even she, a blood relative of the Decasus family, did not fully comprehend.
"I appreciate the lively reaction, but wouldn't answering my question even a second faster be a precious step toward extending your lifespan?"
"I-I don't know... I really don't!"
"Really? Truly? Hmm. I wonder if this will jog your memory."
Push! Push!
Jinhyuk held the branch and diligently pushed down on the crown of Ophelia's head.
Her head was submerged under the water and pulled back up, repeating the process over and over.
Gurgle! Gurgle!
Her attachment to life must be incredible, considering how she kept parting her lips even in the midst of this. It was quite impressive.
Indeed, this was why vampires were said to be so resilient.
"S-save... b..."
"Did you just call me a bastard?"
Had she lost her mind after swallowing a mouthful of water?
Just as Jinhyuk was about to channel mana into the branch with pure spite,
"B... cough! ...mung..."
The broken syllables finally connected from Ophelia's mouth.
Oh?
He thought she was swearing, but that wasn't it.
Another unexpected word had been mentioned.
Jinhyuk eased up on the branch for a moment.
'Balmung...'
Since it was impossible to track its location, he had wondered where it was, but it turned out to be in the Empire.
If it was the Dragon-Slaying Sword, classified as a top-tier sacred relic, it could certainly inflict damage even on the deities or ancient dragons of the upper floors.
It wasn't given an indigo rating for nothing.
Now, the puzzle pieces were finally starting to fall into place.
"Good. That was very useful information."
Killing Ophelia right here to level up could be an option, but unfortunately, he was a man of his word.
Above all, Ophelia could serve as a highly useful card later on, not just against the six families, but also in his dealings with the Empire.
A rough plan based on this began to take shape in his mind.
Jinhyuk pulled back the branch.
As long as he didn't actively stop her from climbing out, she would be more than capable of surviving on her own.
"I'll contact you again later. Oh! And you'd better not think about running off to tattle to the family heads."
He hadn't branded her because one of the family heads possessed the ability to detect the Brand of the Flame Soul, but she should think long and hard about it.
Between those high-and-mighty heads of the six families and him... which one was closer to a devil, and which one she should fear more.
"H-hieee!"
Reading his intent, Ophelia trembled violently.
"I trust you understand what I mean by now."
Smiling brightly, Jinhyuk gripped his swords in both hands once more.
Now, it was time to put an end to this battle.
* * *
Rumbleeeee! Boom!
A clash of immense mana against mana, followed by a brief moment of silence.
"...Tch!"
Alice's face contorted.
With her mana rapidly depleting, the battle grew increasingly disadvantageous as time went on.
On the other hand,
"Whew. Even with constraints placed on you, to think you're still this formidable... It is truly tiresome."
Michael, unlike before, seemed to have regained his composure.
By avoiding direct confrontation as much as possible, the tide of battle had gradually tilted to one side, eventually reaching a point where victory was practically decided.
"Your cowardice remains unchanged. It is exactly the same as when you trapped me in the Corridor... I want to slice your neck open this very instant, but I only lament the constraints binding my body."
Alice barely swallowed her rage.
Her pure white hair, soiled with dust, and the blood trickling down her cheek stood out starkly.
"Haha. Of course, how could it be otherwise? If you were in your prime, I wouldn't have lasted even a minute before being turned to dust."
The True Ancestor hailed as the strongest in history.
Alice von Ataraxia.
There was not a single vampire who did not know the weight of that name.
Even the lofty deities and ancient species had sought to avoid direct confrontation with Alice.
However,
"Isn't the present what matters? O banished head of the Ataraxia family. You should never have come out of that place."
"Are you saying I should have remained locked in the darkness forever? Simply because I tried to protect our race... no, the balance of the Tower?"
"That is precisely the problem. We possess the power and ability to climb much higher. Why must we settle for that foolish peace and balance, letting our potential rot away?"
"The 50th floor... is a place absolutely no one can reach. Waging a war for that is no different from dragging everyone to their deaths. You must know this as well."
"No, I do not know that. And the heads of the great families share my sentiment."
Michael drew the line.
Everything was already planned.
A relic forgotten in the shadows of history had no right to speak of the future.
Therefore,
"It is about time I kill you and summon the rest of the army. I ask that you do not struggle unsightly. You were once our family head, after all, so I wish to preserve at least a shred of your honor on your final journey."
Whoosh!
A heavy energy completely enveloped the rapier.
Both the quality and quantity of his mana completely overwhelmed Alice.
This was the end.
By piercing the heart of the final, weakened obstacle, all their objectives in descending to the 7th floor would be declared a success.
Surely... that was how it was supposed to go.
But,
"Wow. This is quite a sight. I could've sworn you bragged 24/7 about being one of the strongest in the world. Seeing how you can't even beat that guy, I guess you meant you're just a basement champion?"
A new voice cut in.
It was Jinhyuk.
* * *
"You...!"
Alice's eyes went wide.
Since he had promised to come help, she expected him to join later, but she never imagined he would arrive this quickly.
Wasn't this... way too fast?
And that was against the elite blood relatives handpicked by the Decasus family.
She had already realized many times how incredible Jinhyuk was, but it seemed that as time went on, he shattered common sense far too often.
And Michael was equally flustered by this turn of events.
'They couldn't even hold him for five minutes...?'
Ophelia and Bertion. He thought the two of them would be more than enough to stop him.
No, he had considered the slight possibility of them being breached, but he never imagined they would be broken through in such a short amount of time.
Ultimately, this situation had caught Michael completely off guard.
A perfectionist who always liked to keep every situation under control, Michael could only watch blankly as Jinhyuk approached Alice.
"B-basement champion?! It's only because of my constraints! If I were at full strength..."
"I know. You did well."
Jinhyuk lightly patted the injured Alice on the shoulder.
Michael must have taken some damage as well, so this was more than enough.
"Are you planning to fight him alone? No matter how strong you are, doing it alone is reckless."
"Does it look that way to you?"
"O-of course!"
Indeed, until just a moment ago, a 1v1 victory wouldn't have been guaranteed, even if Michael's stamina and mana had taken a hit.
But... 'It's different now.'
Because he had acquired 'Soul Absorption' to gain the upper hand in battle.
"It's fine. Leave the rest to me."
Jinhyuk smirked.
At the same time,
[Recalling 'Memory of the World'.]
A golden parchment unfurled behind Jinhyuk's back.
This was the Great Library, containing the truths of the world—a treasury storing the unique abilities and skills he had gathered while climbing the Tower.
Crackle!
Dazzling sparks scattered in all directions.
"This is..."
Michael's eyes narrowed.
Though he didn't know exactly what Jinhyuk was trying to do, he recognized that something extraordinary was unfolding.
Boom!
Michael immediately lunged forward.
His energy, raised to its absolute limit, erupted like lightning.
However, Jinhyuk was one step faster.
"I will fuse 'Soul Absorption' and 'Soul-Chasing Sword'."
The moment he finished speaking,
[Fusion successful!]
[You have acquired the skill 'Demon Soul Sword (SSS)'!]
[Demon Soul Sword
Acquisition Difficulty: SSS
Description: A unique martial art passed down exclusively to the leaders of the Demonic Cult in the Murim on the 21st floor of the Tower of Trials. It consists of nine forms in total, and no one except the First Cult Leader has ever succeeded in mastering the final ninth form. While the Demon Soul Sword is counted among the ultimate techniques, it is considered a double-edged sword due to its domineering nature that completely disregards defense.]
This was exactly why he had played along with the vampires.
To preemptively acquire a skill that would normally only be obtainable much later.
And to defeat an enemy he could never beat under normal circumstances.
"The price for hurting our Queen Mosquito's feelings... I'll collect exactly a hundredfold, no more, no less."
[Unique Ability 'Grave of Swords' is activated!]
To the talent of the Sword Demon,
[Lv.1 'Demon Soul Sword' is activated!]
The sword technique that even the leaders of the Demonic Cult held in awe was replicated.
Whoosh...
The surrounding air shifted drastically.
Jinhyuk took a step forward.
That was the signal.
Boom!
"Ugh!"
An impact as if Mt. Tai itself had crashed down was transmitted to Michael's fingertips.
His posture faltered heavily.
Even the rapier's signature swordsmanship, designed to fluidly deflect enemy attacks, was useless.
It was a strike so brutally simple that the word 'mindless' came to mind.
Before Michael could even recover, Jinhyuk aimed for his thigh with Fang.
After drawing Michael's attention to the Twin Dragon Sword, he launched a sudden, surprise attack.
Clang!
Yet, Michael reacted to the surprise attack by a hair's breadth.
"Hmm..."
'He's surprisingly composed.'
It didn't seem like he would easily find an opening in that guy. At least, not if he played by the book.
'Then, how about I try saying this?'
Jinhyuk slowly opened his mouth.
And then, on Michael's face, which had maintained its composure until now,
"You... you wretched, rat-like human...! How on earth do you know that?!"
A crack finally began to form.