Chapter 143
Chapter 143
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 143
Chapter Title: Remnant Storm Rain
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“Huh?”
The moment Kaal let out that very brief note of doubt.
The Meriz sliced apart by Havel's sword began rising to their feet one by one.
Their helmets no longer held any pupils.
Instead, they had become mindless monsters, charging back into the fray.
It had all happened in an instant.
And Kaal immediately realized this was the work of the black Meriz.
Necromancer.
Without a doubt, it possessed abilities from that lineage.
At minimum, a Zero-rank agent.
Kaal stood at the pinnacle among spatial ability users.
For even him to feel a chill, it meant the enemy wielded a massive Calamity on top of that.
Obviously, he couldn't just leave it be.
“Havel, there's a variant among them—different from the rest!”
With his shout, Kaal raised both hands.
The pulverized Space Slash he'd prepared hurtled straight toward the black Meriz.
But the slain Meriz were faster than his attack.
They clustered their corpse bodies together, blocking Kaal's Space Slash.
They showed no fear whatsoever as their bodies shattered and exploded apart.
On top of that, thanks to the black Meriz, their bodies regenerated instantly.
Broken parts could simply be pieced back together.
Before long, the black Meriz had vanished amid the horde of Meriz.
It was exceptionally skilled at erasing its presence as well.
There was no sign of it anywhere.
This was bad.
He should have crushed it the moment he spotted it.
Now it planned to lurk in hiding, endlessly reviving the Meriz as undead.
This could drag on forever.
No matter how capable Havel was, he'd run out of stamina eventually.
Then I'll pulverize them all with space and carve out an opening.
At least clear a path for Havel to advance.
With that resolve, Kaal was about to gather his hands, heedless of the massive energy drain.
“Like I said earlier.”
Havel, who had soared into the sky, flipped in midair and came to a hover.
“Keep the space rift locked down and managed.”
Before Kaal could even respond, Havel raised his sword.
And in the instant the massive Dawn light gathered there, captivating Kaal's eyes.
Havel thrust the blade downward without a hint of hesitation.
Banpellyon Style Dawn Swordsmanship
Remnant Storm Rain
The beam of Dawn light shattered into countless shards, raining down like a storm.
The Dawn downpour hammered the Meriz.
It didn't matter if they were alive or corpses.
The Dawn downpour obliterated them entirely, heedless of their life force.
The overwhelming sight left even Kaal momentarily stunned.
Where the storm had passed, only pulverized Meriz fragments remained.
Reduced to powder, they couldn't possibly regenerate now.
Even revival would be pointless.
Amid the devastation, Havel raised his sword once more.
And in the moment his silhouette blurred as he kicked off the sky.
Krunch!
Havel's extended sword plunged into the ground.
“Grk! Giek!”
The black Meriz that burst from the earth convulsed, limbs trembling wildly.
With that, its breath cut short, the black Meriz went completely still.
As Havel withdrew his blade, Kaal slowly descended.
“What are you...?”
He stared at Havel with eyes wide in shock.
“What, scared now that the one you summoned exceeds your expectations?”
Havel said flatly.
Kaal didn't know Havel's true identity.
He only knew him as the entity he'd called through the dimensional gate.
Human in appearance, but who knew what lay beneath—perhaps no different from other ability users.
The unknown always bred fear.
So Havel asked if he was regretting it now.
Kaal slowly shook his head.
“No, I'm not scared—it's actually a relief.”
“A relief?”
“With that kind of power, you have no reason to covet our world.”
His follow-up was spot on.
Havel had no interest in this world itself.
He saw it merely as a transit point on his way to clearing the Tower.
True enough, Havel's eyes held no greed whatsoever.
Kaal had pierced that truth cleanly.
“You're after something beyond our world, right?”
“Yeah.”
Havel answered plainly.
He didn't particularly want Kaal fretting over him, after all.
“I'm pushing forward to protect my own world.”
This was Havel's honest sentiment as well.
Clearing the Tower was no longer just for the Banpellyon family's sake.
The masters of the calamities beyond the continent.
And among those masters, the ancient ones dubbed the Primordial Overlords.
To confront them, Havel climbed the Tower.
“So our goals align. Yours is included in mine.”
Havel spoke only the truth.
There was no reason for someone as powerful as him to lie.
Thus, Kaal could clench his fists even tighter.
“Thank you.”
Havel had deliberately quelled his fear of the unknown and the mighty.
As a result, Kaal's eyes burned fiercer.
“Let's move. I've released the space severance.”
The Meriz were in ruins now.
The hive lord surely knew of their presence by now.
The lord would be wary of Havel too.
They had to finish it before it pulled any new tricks.
Havel followed as Kaal pressed onward.
“Havel, I think I could entrust my final request to you too.”
He continued.
Final request.
That implied there was something beyond even the hive lord.
Havel vaguely sensed what that request entailed.
Kaal wanted to halt humanity's extinction and ensure its survival.
The hive lord was the intruder.
And the countless things it had unleashed were seeds of doom.
Kaal would want every last one eradicated.
And at the end of that path... surely...
Havel gazed at Kaal's back.
A mere 11-year-old boy.
His mind had rapidly matured beyond adults due to the parasite's mutation.
Yet in truth, he was just a child of 11 years.
That young back bore a colossal burden no one else could shoulder.
And his efforts would go unrecognized by any in humanity.
The boy was no longer human, infected by the parasite—another species entirely.
But from the moment he lost part of it to oppose the hive lord.
He differed from ordinary ability users as well.
Abraxas.
Opener of dimensional gates, or closer? Even that remained unclear.
Alone, he confronted the hive lord without revealing the truth.
Havel walked up and plopped a hand atop Kaal's head.
Kaal turned with puzzled eyes.
“I don't think my unseen efforts hold no value.”
Havel slowly lifted his hand.
“Value is something you find for yourself.”
He too had entered the Demonic Palace and been forgotten by the world, unrecognized by any.
But Havel didn't care.
He would aid in rebuilding his fallen house due to his past mistakes.
Yet he never boasted of emerging from the Demonic Palace on his own.
Havel knew the value of his own efforts.
No need to brag loudly from his own mouth.
Knowing it himself was enough.
Thus, to Arthur and the others.
He had concealed his existence until they discovered it themselves.
Kaal looked at Havel.
His words pierced right through Kaal's life as well.
If he passed his final request to him at the end.
He would surely honor it gladly.
“I may not know everything, but one thing's clear.”
Kaal's steps quickened slightly.
“Your life hasn't been smooth sailing either.”
Indeed, they hailed from different worlds.
Kaal existed within the world the Tower had created.
Havel was an outsider from beyond the Tower.
Yet Kaal smiled, sensing their striking similarities.
It was the purest smile he'd worn in his young life in quite some time.
“Havel, with your strength, you can save your world too.”
“Yeah.”
Havel resolved to take the boy's words to heart.
And he grew curious.
What exactly did the Tower intend to show him?
Perhaps this world included, everything was the Tower's own trial.
Like how the Demonic Palace granted me the seat of its 10th-floor lord.
The Tower might wish to convey something as well.
If I conquer the entire Tower.
Then he'd know.
With that thought, Havel moved forward.
His task remained unchanged.
Clear the Tower.
Sector 1, seized by the Dimensional Spawn.
The commotion Havel had caused there.
Had put neighboring Sector 2 on high alert.
Given Sector 1's nature, numerous agents were stationed in Sector 2.
And among those deployed, the elite were naturally Zero-rank agents.
The world's top ten ability users.
Zero-rank agents.
Nearly half of them were permanently stationed near Sector 1.
To respond instantly to any incidents there.
“I've never seen an energy signature this massive before. And the presences of multiple Dimensional Spawn—far more than a couple.
At least Rank 1 or higher Dimensional Spawn for sure.”
The detection-type ability user hurriedly reported the situation.
“And that energy is clashing with the Dimensional Spawn. This means...”
“Someone's fighting in Sector 1?”
Among them, a man scarred across his face muttered.
Curiously, nails hung from his belt.
His identity: Zero-rank agent, Iron Sovereign.
Everything happening in Sector 1 threatened the entire city.
Thus, every incident there was inherently perilous.
“What lunatic's pulling this crap in Sector 1?”
A petite woman muttered in disbelief.
Slouched in her chair, her face was etched with irritation.
She flicked back her cascading red hair.
The fiery redhead was one of the Zero-rank agents, known as the Crimson Fox.
“So, what do we do? We can't just sit on this.”
As she said, the situation screamed danger.
The Zero-rank agents could feel the energy's power just as keenly as the detection user.
With an unknown powerhouse up to something.
They couldn't stand by.
“B-but charging in blindly seems reckless!”
A skinny, long-necked man clutching an electronic device spoke up boldly.
Zero-rank agent, Giraffe.
He was weighing the risks.
“F-first, we should evacuate Sector 2's civilians before breaching...”
“And if we're too late? If civilians matter, run both evac and assault simultaneously.”
“B-but that risks splitting our forces...”
“Then what?!”
“Eek!”
The Crimson Fox bellowed, sending Giraffe shrieking and fleeing.
She eyed him pitifully before turning to Iron Sovereign.
“Where's White Swallow?”
“Over Sector 1 airspace.”
At the mention of another Zero-rank, Iron Sovereign pointed upward.
“Said she'd scout Sector 1 first and flew off.”
“Always loves zipping around fast.”
The Crimson Fox sighed and shot to her feet.
“I'll tail White Swallow then. Iron Sovereign, handle civilian evac with Giraffe.”
Iron Sovereign nodded steadily.
Dependable as ever, he'd prioritize safety and oversee the evacuation.
“No word from the Chairman yet?”
“Nothing so far.”
“Weird. When does he stay this quiet?”
As the Crimson Fox reacted with surprise.
Ding!
The communicators they carried suddenly chimed.
Iron Sovereign and the Crimson Fox exchanged glances, then checked their devices.
Their faces quickly soured.
“...What the hell.”
There was a black-haired boy.
And the attached info made them doubt their eyes.
“...This kid's Abraxas?”
The entity kept secret until now: Abraxas.
The message contained his personal details.