Chapter 135
Chapter 135
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 135
Chapter Title: Wind from the West
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A genius alchemist transcending eras.
Ernst Heinrich Philipp August Haeckel.
"Philip, I've wanted to meet you."
Philip gave me a bright smile.
"I've wanted to meet you too, Lord Berddin. They say you cut off Lord Edward's right arm?"
"That's right. But you reattached it? Though the material's a bit different."
"Huh? How did you know I gave him that arm? We agreed to keep it secret that it was my work."
"No one else on this continent could make something like that besides you."
"Besides me?"
"Yeah."
Philip tilted his head with a suppressed smile. I know what that reaction means.
Even pretending to be nonchalant, that's Philip's unique flustered gesture.
"You speak as if you know me well."
"I do. Better than anyone. Hell, maybe even better than your family."
"...Really? I had no idea you were so interested in me. If I'd known, I'd have come to see you much sooner."
"That's why I'm saying, why didn't you come earlier? Good thing we met now. Otherwise, I'd have had no choice but to kill you."
"Kill me?"
"Yeah. First... shall we loosen up a bit? To show you my worth."
"?!"
I leaped straight at one of the Numbers members and swung my sword. First target: the mole. If he escapes underground, he'll be hard to catch, so deal with him first.
Thud!
My blade pierced the mole's chest.
I don't know how many fights this guy chasing me has been in, but he couldn't even react. Doesn't seem like a single-digit ranker.
"Gah!"
The mole looked down at me with a twisted expression. He froze solid without a twitch. Looks dead.
"One down."
I turned my head to the crane woman. She, brimming with confidence just moments ago, flinched in shock and staggered back.
"P-P-Philip! Stop him!"
I yanked my sword free from the mole's gut.
Thud.
I curled the corner of my mouth at her.
"Stop me if you can."
Philip twitched his brow and gestured toward the monsters. At his command, twenty grotesquely shaped trolls and two ogres blocked the path.
'Those are the ones.'
Philip's newly created modified monsters. Trolls with abnormally muscular upper bodies and ogres with giraffe-like long necks.
'Trying to block me with just this?'
Way too light a test, Philip.
Whoosh-
A single slash cleaving left to right through empty air. My sword didn't even touch them, yet it sliced the foes.
Thud, thud-thud-thud!
In one stroke, I bisected all twenty trolls. Not only that, it broke the spirit of the ogres guarding the crane from behind.
The terrified ogres parted on their own.
Step, step, step.
I walked slowly toward the crane. Frozen in terror, she couldn't do a thing, just trembling her lips.
"Why aren't you running?!"
Philip yelled at her. Only then did her wings begin to flap. She kicked off the ground, soaring up as she screamed at me.
"S-S-Someday, you bastard!"
I looked at her and mimed slicing my throat with my finger. She probably didn't understand the meaning.
Something tore through the sky.
Swoooosh-
Until it lopped off her head.
Splat!
'...No, with her head gone, she never got it to the end.'
My griffon, which had decapitated the crane, cried out in exultation.
-Kyreeeek!
"Good work, Grydori."
Clap clap clap clap!
Philip approached me, clapping.
"I surrender. Wow- I thought they'd at least give you a challenge, but they weren't even close."
I pointed at his waist with my finger and kicked his shin.
Thwack.
"Guh!"
"Don't pull that crap. That thread linked to your fingers? A bit of acid won't kill me."
"Sniff... H-How did you know?"
"How? Obvious what you'd try. I told you, I know you better than your family."
Philip clutched his shin and hopped around.
"Ow! Wasn't that kick too hard? Feels like you broke the bone."
"Those guys got ripped apart, and that's your complaint?"
"...Fair enough."
I smirked and sat on a rock, asking.
"How's the research coming?"
"Research? What research do you mean?"
"What else? Besides modding monsters."
"......"
"You're experimenting with mixing two species right now, beasts and monsters? Nah, more precisely, secretly using humans as subjects too. Three types."
Philip jolted in surprise and shot to his feet.
"H-How do you know about that-"
"How? Proof's right in front of me."
I alternated glances between the dead mole and crane.
"How'd you know they were my test subjects?"
"Because you showed up."
"Because I showed up?"
"Yeah. At first, I thought they'd tapped into Guardian Spirit power. But then I saw you and put it together."
"...This is a problem. No way I can beat you like this."
Philip turned and scanned the forest.
"And if word of all this gets out, I'll lose my general's post."
"Chill. You don't need that gig anyway. Especially not you, who doesn't believe in God."
"What?! How dare you deny His Holiness-"
Before he could finish, I smacked his head with my scabbard.
Thud!
"Argh!"
"Damn fool. What's the real goal of your research?"
"T-To create stronger soldiers and safeguard the Empire-"
Philip sneaked a peek at my scabbard and hung his head.
"No... To gain immense power and reach the top of the tower."
"Right. And why climb to the top?"
"I-I can't tell you that."
"Fine, I'll spell it out. You're using advanced alchemy to disprove God's existence."
"?!"
"And you're climbing to prove it. To show everyone there's no god up there."
Philip gaped at me, unable to close his mouth. Like he couldn't fathom how I knew all this.
"No long lectures. I'm the one who can complete your research. And I've already got the materials."
"You'll complete my research?"
"Yeah."
"W-W-Wait a sec! But first, how do you know all this about me? I was lurking in the shadows, planning in secret. Never even voiced my thoughts to anyone..."
Because in your past life, you spilled it all to me while begging to be taken to the tower.
'But.'
I couldn't say that.
"I'm a Strange. That explanation enough?"
No need to elaborate. No one knows the full reach of the Strange family's intelligence network.
"...As expected, the Stranges are not to be underestimated."
Philip nodded on his own.
His vast store of knowledge no doubt hyped up the Stranges in his head and made him acknowledge my power.
"How far along is it? Human-beast mixes? Or monster-beast?"
"...Neither yet. Those two you took out were the latest to finish experiments. Both showed weird reactions."
"Weird reactions?"
"Yeah. Their bodies stiffened up, couldn't move. Probably the drugs I injected clashing inside them."
Philip shrugged.
"Still don't know the exact cause."
"What about implanting monsters into humans?"
"...Not yet. Haven't even tried."
"Why not?"
"Can't find humans strong enough for the research. Normal bodies warp and die just from beast blood. Monster blood...? What do you think happens?"
"Body explodes."
"Exactly, the body explodes... Wait, how'd you know?"
I grabbed his shoulder and chuckled as I answered.
"Alright, here's how we'll do it. I'll make you a proposal."
"A proposal?"
"Yeah. Right now, I've got five beast giants perfect for your experiments."
"?!"
"And unlike Albus, who you've allied with, I'm gunning straight for the tower summit."
Philip let out a hollow laugh, beyond surprise now.
"Ha! You knew that too. This is more than a little troublesome."
"Anyway, back to the point. My proposal: betray Albus and join me."
"...Me, to you, Lord Berddin?"
He'd definitely come to me. He's the type to do anything for his goals.
"Yeah, you to me. You've got a week to decide. Mull it over."
Somewhere in the tower's upper levels: the Dark City.
And at its heart, a grotesque castle built from piled human corpses.
Inside, the apostles guarding the tower began gathering one by one.
The first to arrive was the king of goblins overseeing the tower's lowest section, Apostle Gregory.
He sat at the long oval table and spoke to the elderly butler-like figure.
"The others?"
"They haven't arrived yet."
"So I'm the first?"
"Yes, Lord Gregory."
No sooner had he finished than space tore open, revealing another apostle.
Ssshh!
"How have you been, Lord Gregory?"
Gregory scowled deeply in response.
"How'd you get here so fast, Amon?"
The second arrival was the tower's scribe and the one who executed God's will from the closest vantage: Amon.
"I just couldn't wait to see you, Lord Gregory."
"Damn pest. I hate looking at you—get lost over there."
"Pardon? Oh, yes. If the goblin king commands, of course. Half-man, half-beast Gregory."
"You little-!"
As Gregory reared back his fist, someone appeared behind him and grabbed his wrist.
Thud.
"Enough."
"...Deadlord."
Apostle Carlson, guardian of the tower's second trial, shook his head.
"No fighting in the Demonium. Isn't that the rule we all set?"
Gregory shook off the hand, returned to his seat, crossed his arms, and closed his eyes.
"Amon, after Demonium ends, meet me alone."
"Ehh? Gonna punch me with that fist? Pass!"
"If you don't want to, I'll come find you myself. Wait over there till then."
Carlson waved a hand through the air, and Amon was shoved as if by an invisible force all the way to the opposite chair at the round table.
Thump.
"Lord Carlson, the conversation was just getting good-"
"Shut it and wait till the others arrive. Or I won't hold back."
With that, Deadlord took the center seat. Time dragged on until the hourglass atop the table ran empty. Five had gathered.
The early arrivals Gregory, Carlson, Amon... and just before the final grain fell, a black-cloaked figure warping through space: Timeless.
Shaaak.
"Oops, sorry. Felt awkward with you all, so I came late on purpose."
And only after the four had assembled did a human-form knight emerge from the shadows.
Step, step, step.
The one called Judah in the human world: Apostle Baphomet.
"Let's begin the Demonium. This meeting's topic: the Strange family head 'Berddin'."
All the apostles' gazes turned to Baphomet.
"We'll vote: eliminate him, who has escaped the laws of causality, or let him persist."