Chapter 161
Chapter 161
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 161
Chapter Title: Breakwater
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The devilish domain that had frustrated countless adventurers over a long span of time.
[50th Floor]
The moment I arrived at the massive island at the edge of the sea with my party members, we immediately began our operation.
"Until I give the signal, kill as many monsters here as you can."
The orders were very simple.
Preliminary work before erecting a breakwater to block the incoming waves ahead. In the past, this couldn't be done, but now that I'm the head of the Strange Family, it's different.
Cynthia drew her sword with a resolute expression and replied.
Click.
"Got it. We just focus on killing them, no separate tasks, right?"
"Yeah."
"If any problems arise, fire a green signal flare and pull back immediately."
"And a red one if we encounter a monster too strong to beat?"
"Exactly."
Rox pulled one of the signal flares from his belt and fired it into the sky.
Whoosh—boom!
As the flare burst, blue smoke began to spread slowly.
"Blue means assemble everyone, right?"
"...Yeah. But why fire it here and now?"
"I don't need it anyway since this little guy's with me. If we need to gather, I'll relay through the bugs."
True enough, Rox didn't just listen through the bugs—he could communicate through them too, so he didn't really need the flares.
"Got it."
I watched the smoke from the signal flare he'd fired. As expected, there wasn't a breath of wind up there.
'Of course not.'
The beings living on the floor here, mostly composed of water from the 41st to 50th floors.
They feared the wind, so it was an inevitable choice.
'Yeah, I remember.'
This was the place where, in my previous life, I'd opened one of the tower's hidden secrets to deal with the apostle assigned to the trial.
I wrapped my sword in aura, raised it overhead, then swung it forcefully toward the front while shouting to everyone.
"Here we go!!!"
Slash—!
Sword energy radiated along the path the blade cut through. The sword wind that sliced across the ground toppled the trees blocking my way, carving out a new path.
Boom!
The moment my view cleared, Cynthia and Rox leaped to the left and right.
Alfredo, who had been gauging our movements, asked me uncertainly.
"Where should I go?"
"Guard this spot."
"Guard it?"
"Yeah. If you see blue smoke, come straight here. You don't have a flare anyway, right?"
"You could give me one."
"No spares."
"Why didn't you bring one for me?"
"Because I planned to kill you."
"Kill me?"
"Yeah. Originally, you were supposed to die by my hand in Gregory's domain. I have a creed: I never let traitors live, no matter what."
Alfredo swallowed hard.
"Sounds like you're saying you'll kill me someday anyway."
"Correct. So be careful. If you say anything that rubs me the wrong way, your head hits the ground."
He fell silent and stepped back. But he didn't show any feeble submission to my threat.
What he'd shown us so far wasn't his full power. The look in his eyes—humiliation-free, having overcome fear—hinted he could lunge at me anytime if a crisis hit.
"Good eyes."
"Berddin, let me say this upfront: the giant I found in the north. It'll be a huge help in your conquest of the continent. If you use that guy's ability like Rox's... you know."
I didn't dismiss his opinion. That was exactly why I was keeping Alfredo alive.
"I don't know how long I'll let you live. But cooperate until you bring me that guy I mentioned earlier, and I'll help with your brother's revenge."
"Clark's revenge?"
"Yeah. We don't know the culprit for sure yet, but I have a rough idea who."
"?!"
"Not enough to tell you now, though. Once this is over, we can talk it out slowly."
With that, I left the spot.
This wasn't the time for a long chat on it, and he wasn't trustworthy enough for sensitive info yet.
"Guard the ship well until then."
Whoosh!
By now, probably about half a day had passed outside the tower. No day or night here made it hard to tell exactly, but there was a rough way to check.
'Here it is.'
I confirmed the direction of the 'Sunnyroad Flower' that bloomed and wilted only in this place.
It was facing the opposite direction from when we first arrived, meaning half a day had passed.
'Time to gather the party first.'
Standing atop a mountain of monster corpses, I pulled out a signal flare.
This should be enough prep for the breakwater. Now we head back to Strange Castle to prepare the next phase.
"Kieek!"
Gridori flew in front of me and pecked at the monster corpses.
Crunch.
Brunhilt watched the scene, her cheeks twitching in disgust.
"Din, I don't get what's so cute about that thing."
"Looks cute if you observe closely."
"Am I not cuter? Look closely. My beautiful eyes, the perfect lines from my waist to my hips, nyang!"
I averted my gaze to the distance and nodded slightly.
"Yes."
"...What?"
"What?"
"Feels like you're forcing it."
"No way. Anyway, you two are always so quiet when climbing the tower. Especially... Master Siegfried?"
Siegfried turned away with an ashen face. Avoiding my eyes, he murmured softly.
"What would I have to say to you?"
"Suddenly?"
"Not sudden. The version of me you saw in Timeless's trial this time. And why that guy's out for revenge on us. It's all because of me, right?"
'Is he repenting for past deeds?'
Not a word wrong.
But his era was one where power and authority ruled all, or so I'd heard. Commoners' lives were no different from forest bugs.
'Well.'
Honestly, not much had changed even now, but awareness of life had improved a lot.
The only group unchanged was one.
'The Papal Court.'
The wall of power they'd built for their holy and sacred one was too high to topple easily.
"Master, don't overthink the Timeless matter. I'll handle it."
"It's not about handling or not. It's that I'm regretting my past."
"Regretting the past?"
"Yeah. Back then... back then..."
His eyes moistened.
The legendary Sword God showing such frailty... Well, Siegfried was human before becoming a Guardian Spirit, right? I thought.
'Of course.'
Until his next words.
"If I'd killed every last one back then without mercy, this wouldn't have happened..."
"Ah?"
"I spared them, and now they've come back as seeds of revenge. Sorry for leaving the cleanup to you, the next generation, because I couldn't finish it cleanly."
I didn't reply to Siegfried and fired the signal flare.
Whoosh—boom!
Blue smoke slowly spread across the sky. The first to react was Alfredo, waiting on the beach.
Thud thud thud.
'Oh ho.'
Not hiding his power anymore, huh. Powerful aura enveloped his body, and a Guardian Spirit I'd never seen hovered above his head.
'Reminds me of Brother Gunter's Guardian Spirit.'
An old man at least 2 meters tall, muscles bursting. From his unarmed form, he didn't seem to use weapons.
'Wonder what ability he has.'
Before I could ask Alfredo, Rox arrived from surprisingly close by.
"Berddin!"
Thump, thump, thump!
He rode in on one of the monsters he'd slain here—a bipedal hippo.
"Suits you."
"Yeah? These guys are about the same size as my brothers, so it works."
Come to think of it, the monsters on this final island were pretty huge. Not sure about those who hadn't made it this far, though.
'...Right.'
Those still outside the tower had no idea how massive the incoming wave would be or that monsters this big even existed.
Alfredo gaped at the bipedal hippo.
"Whoa—this is bigger than I thought! North has way bigger ones, though."
I tilted my head at Alfredo's response.
"Bigger monsters than this in the north?"
"Yeah, you guys wouldn't know. You've never been to the northern edge, right, Berddin?"
"No."
"Figures. Roys treasured you so much he'd never send you north."
"He kept me out of the north because he treasured me?"
"Yeah. Do you know why the Strange Family avoids the north?"
I didn't.
Honestly, I'd never even planned to go. Probably because of what my father from my previous life had told me.
Back then, he'd said the northern lands had no resources worth taking, and the people there were barbarians unfit as allies.
'Right.'
So I'd ignored it entirely. My knowledge there was near zero.
"No clue."
"Too many strong ones."
"Too many strong ones?"
"Yeah. No fancy names, but some you couldn't beat."
"...Really."
"Yeah! If you want, when we go for the giant, I'll introduce you to some warriors from my village. If you love clashing with the strong, you won't regret it."
Not a bad answer.
Talk of powerhouses piqued my interest greatly.
'Interesting.'
Bluff or not, the existence of real powerhouses wouldn't be a lie.
Once the chat wrapped up, Rox and I began building the breakwater.
With his ability, it was simple. Raise the monsters we'd slain earlier as undead with his Guardian Spirit power.
Thump, thump, thump, thump!
Line them up in the designated spot to form a wall.
They'd handle stacking rocks and trees into proper walls themselves.
"Fewer than I thought."
"A hundred fifty-two total. Can't control more."
"Not bad."
"But the island's huge. Even lined up like this, they won't block everything."
"It's fine. We came to build this breakwater to reduce the wave's power, not stop it entirely."
Rox glanced around from atop the hippo, then nodded knowingly.
"Then back to the castle now?"
"Yeah. Cynthia still not here?"
"Huh... yeah? Missed the signal?"
"Call her with the bugs. No need to linger here when we're not climbing further."
"Okay."
Rox closed his eyes and muttered something. Seconds later, black smoke streaked across the sky from the island's center.
Whoosh—
'Huh?'
Bang!
Red smoke billowed into the sky.
Rox's eyes snapped open, and he shouted urgently at me.
"It's here!"
"What?"
"Th-th-that guy."
"What guy?"
"The apostle!"
"Apostle?"
I'd heard the apostle guarding the 50th floor was originally on the 60th.
'In that case.'
No big issue for me now. Without even drawing my sword, I gripped aura in one hand and mana in the other, then dashed toward the rising red smoke.
Thud thud thud.
I kicked off the ground, leaped high.
Whoosh!
Bounced from branch to branch on a tall tree.
Tap, tap, tap!
From the tallest nearby tree's top, I spotted Cynthia's position.
'...Huh?'
Why's that guy here?