Chapter 104
Chapter 104
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 104
Chapter Title: Chapter 104
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 104
Chapter Title: The Shattered Birdcage
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On the vast plain where the Steel Crow had vanished in an instant.
Havel stood with his sword held diagonally at the ready.
He glanced back at the group huddled closely behind him.
They had taken shelter there without a moment's hesitation.
As he pondered whether to give them a good knock on the head...
Baria was still diligently flipping through his book.
"Baria, what do you mean the crows created a space to imprison climbers?"
"It seems one of the Five Great Families that reached the tower made a deal with the Tendar."
Excluding Glasis, there were four families currently on the 76th floor.
Cain.
Graiza.
Ignor.
August.
One of them had sold out the climbers' information.
As Baria swallowed hard, Havel turned his gaze forward.
There, the Steel Crow he'd seen earlier was still circling high in the sky.
Now that he looked closely, the surrounding landscape did seem unnaturally off.
'Impressive. They called it a civilization superior even to ours.'
Havel's eyes sparkled at the scenery that had fooled even his senses.
This was starting to get him excited.
"If it's a birdcage, smashing it shouldn't be an issue."
Havel had already drawn his sword.
The Steel Crow sensed his intent to attack and moved to respond at once.
Slash!
But before it could, Havel's strike cleaved the Steel Crow in two.
"Don't interfere."
Boom!
The Steel Crow exploded, erased from existence.
Havel lifted his sword casually, as if swatting a pesky insect.
In that moment, Dawn light began gathering on his blade.
Once it was fully charged...
Havel swung toward the sky without hesitation.
The surging Dawn light blanketed the heavens in an instant.
And soon, a deafening crash echoed in everyone's ears as it shattered.
The sky, which had shimmered blue just moments ago...
Shattered into pieces the instant the Dawn touched it.
"It really was a birdcage."
Elasia murmured blankly, watching sky fragments rain down like debris.
As she said, with the sky broken, the true space finally revealed itself.
This was a dome-shaped enclosure.
Between the iron bars, the walls were made of unfamiliar magic.
"It's magitech. A product of magic and science advancing together."
Baria provided the explanation.
'Magitech, huh.'
The difference in civilizations was starkly felt.
Beyond those iron bars loomed impossibly tall skyscrapers.
Buildings piercing the clouds, reminiscent of towers themselves.
Amid that bizarre sight...
Two figures in uniforms appeared, flapping wings as they descended from the sky.
'Humans with wings.'
Black wings sprouted from their backs.
"Tendar tribe."
They were none other than evolved Tendar.
Seeing the broken bars, they flinched in shock.
"The birdcage is broken?"
"Damn it, this isn't some ordinary climber! Call for backup now!"
One crow hurriedly pulled something from his pocket.
Havel instantly recognized it as a communication device.
Thud!
Havel kicked off the ground and soared into the air in a flash.
Before the two could react, he reached out to seize their throats.
In that instant, strange light emanated from their bodies.
Boom!
The burst of light struck Havel, detonating an explosion.
Havel narrowed his eyes amid the smoke.
'Some kind of reflexive countermeasure.'
To think something could keep up with his speed.
And after the blast, tiny steel particles clung to his body.
They wriggled like tiny insects, trying to devour him.
But unfortunately, his body was unbreakable diamond.
A normal person would have taken damage.
Havel suffered none.
Crackle!
Thunder roared in that moment.
Havel saw lightning arcs fiercely sparking across his body.
He shifted his gaze beyond the smoke.
There stood one Tendar in a whip-wielding stance.
The whip was connected to lightning itself.
"Ho."
High-voltage current. At least upper-tier magic level.
Impressed by the curious tool, Havel swung his hand blade.
His extended strike cleaved the lightning whip in two.
"What!?"
The Tendar cried out in alarm.
But Havel was surprised too.
So this was what a different floor felt like.
Even mere common crows could respond to him.
Unthinkable on the previous floor.
Time to capture them and get some answers.
Havel reached out again.
But they had no intention of going down easily.
Steel rose from their uniforms.
It formed armor enveloping their bodies.
And the steel barrier shimmered with red energy.
Seemingly a protective shield.
"That was a mistake."
They should have fled instead of defending.
Light gathered in Havel's outstretched hands.
Destruction born of transcendent power.
Laced with light-speed force.
Krunch!
The shield and steel alike were torn apart by Havel.
Their throats soon filled his grasp.
"Gurk!"
"Gahk!"
The two crows choked out screams as their necks were seized.
But before their cries could fully escape...
Their vision twisted in an instant.
When they blinked, they were surrounded by climbers.
As they trembled in shock, Havel thudded down before them.
The crows' faces drained of color.
"Th-that was our latest shield tech."
Their gear and weapons were all state-of-the-art.
Yet before this man, it all became useless in a heartbeat.
And that wasn't all.
They were elite soldiers handpicked by the royals themselves.
Proficient in combat, backed by cutting-edge tech.
But their weapons shattered without them even fighting.
The gap in ability was absurd.
'A m-monster.'
The moment both crows thought that, they straightened up.
One wrong move, and their heads might fly.
"Smart. Stay put for now, both of you."
Havel left the two crows and turned to Baria.
"Baria, how much time has passed between when we climbed and now?"
The hierarchies had time gaps between floors.
So when Havel asked, Baria swallowed hard.
"Five months."
Five whole months.
Enough time for even Havel to frown.
The Five Great Families could have plotted endlessly in that span.
Havel turned to the captured crows.
"You two—do you know the name Havel?"
"H-Havel, you say?"
The crows exchanged wary glances.
"You mean... the legend of the Lion of the Night?"
They knew it.
Havel clenched his fist.
Good. His act on the previous floor hadn't been wasted.
"Yes. Tell me that legend properly."
"Y-Yes, well, a thousand years ago, when Balun Tendar dragged Phileo Gar from the throne..."
"Wait, what?"
Havel halted the crow mid-sentence.
He felt like he'd misheard an outrageous number.
To confirm, he looked at the others.
They too stared wide-eyed in shock.
No mistake—he'd heard right.
"...That was a thousand years ago?"
This was ridiculous.
Havel rubbed his throbbing neck.
At this rate, his influence from below might be meaningless.
"Baria, was there originally a thousand-year gap between 75 and 76?"
As Havel asked with a headache, Baria shook his head.
"...No. It used to be about 300 years."
Baria revealed this was part of what shocked him.
"Lord Havel, this time gap suggests..."
"Yeah, the floors got merged."
Havel clicked his tongue.
The tower adjusted difficulty per climber.
To bridge 700 years, it merged three floors.
"What a mess."
Havel agreed with Phaiod's blunt assessment.
Then he looked up at the sky.
Numerous presences tickled his senses.
Sure enough, from the horizon...
A flock of figures in uniforms flew toward them.
"Ah."
One captive crow paled.
The backup he'd called.
Could they take down this group? He hoped so, but doubted it.
But Havel ignored the incoming crows, eyeing elsewhere.
A shadowed spot at the birdcage's edge.
"You noticed, huh?"
A man emerged from the shadows.
Black hair, golden eyes.
Havel knew that look well.
And his face closely resembled one from memory.
"Someone from the Cain Family."
Havel asked quietly, and the handsome man smiled.
"Nice to meet you. Havel of Banpellyon."
Havel stifled a dry laugh at his leisurely tone.
Since hearing the Five Great Families' names...
One had felt familiar.
Back in the Three Great Families' heyday.
One alongside Banpellyon and Isia.
Cain.
While Banpellyon and Isia faded, Cain endured, rising to the Five.
And this was a direct descendant of Cain.
"Kabala?"
Baria recognized him and reacted.
He'd attended Penbola's gatherings of direct heirs.
Never imagined he'd be on 76.
Baria looked stunned.
"Looks like trouble from above."
Kabala pointed at the approaching crows.
"Killing them all would hurt your reputation. Everything's recorded here."
He indicated stars in the birdcage sky.
Like surveillance devices watching all.
"So, shall we relocate?"
Kabala smiled suspiciously, inviting talk.
He stomped the ground, and a door appeared.
Moon and stars adorned the antique portal.
As it opened, Kabala leaped inside lightly.
The door lingered after he passed.
An invitation for the others to follow.
"Let's go."
"Lord Havel, wait. It could be a trap."
As Havel moved to follow, Elasia warned.
She distrusted the Five Great Families.
But Havel brushed it off.
"If it's a trap, we'll smash it too."
Easier that way.
Above all, he was curious.
About the Cain Family, who endured the era after his disappearance.
"Kabala isn't the type for that."
With Baria's agreement, Havel leaped through the door.
Baria followed right behind.
"Quit hesitating. He's going."
Phaiod trailed after.
"Ugh, don't blame me if it goes south!"
Elasia crossed last, worry etched on her face.
Thud!
The door shut.
By the time the backup crows arrived, it had vanished.
Only the two pale-faced crows remained, stranded.
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