Chapter 68
Chapter 68
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: The Fragment Thief on the 72nd Floor
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72nd floor. A fragment thief had suddenly appeared.
Someone targeting everyone holding fragments to clear the 72nd floor.
That rumor spread like wildfire across the 72nd floor.
Thanks to that, the identity of the rumor’s source was quickly revealed.
Havel of Banpellyon.
The man who had ushered in a new era alongside the 7th hierarchy.
His strength had been the subject of rampant rumors, but few truly knew it firsthand.
But now, with all the top climbers on the 72nd floor falling to him one after another...
People were finally starting to grasp the weight of those rumors from back then.
Havel of Banpellyon is a calamity.
That was the rumor.
And that rumor reached the ears of an unexpected figure.
Inside a tent.
The man seated on the chair was staring at the paper laid out before him.
"The one gathering fragments is Havel?"
"Yes, that's correct."
The man slowly raised his head at the response.
In the lantern light, his glass-blue hair gleamed.
His jade-green eyes narrowed slowly.
By the wall.
A flag illuminated by the lantern light came into view.
A sword carved from ice and a flower.
It was none other than the crest of the Five Great Families, Glasis.
This was the 72nd floor, the outpost of the Five Great Families' Glasis.
And the man receiving the report was none other than Glasis's second-in-line direct descendant.
Artein Glasis.
Tap...
Artein slowly drummed the table.
A few months ago, something utterly humiliating had happened to Glasis.
Their youngest direct descendant had lost in a friendly match.
Not only had he dared to invoke the family name on his own whim...
He had gone and lost.
The youngest, Dratein Glasis, could not escape exile.
And who was the opponent Dratein had faced in that friendly match?
None other than Banpellyon.
'At the time, it seemed some knight named Dante was highly praised.'
But as time passed, the truth came to light.
The one who had led that friendly match to victory was this very man.
Havel of Banpellyon.
He was a figure who had practically dropped out of the sky into the world.
And every achievement he had racked up since was extraordinary.
Just a few months ago, his name had been on people's lips far more than any of the Five Great Families.
The problem was that those rumors inevitably dragged Glasis's friendly match into the conversation.
As if it were only natural to lose to Havel.
"Tch."
His foolish little brother's antics continued to tarnish the family name.
From Artein's perspective, Havel was naturally an eyesore.
And in the midst of all that, he had suddenly been forced to climb the Tower himself.
Because Havel had opened the 7th hierarchy, the Five Great Families had grown urgent.
After all, he had completely shattered the established order.
"He causes all this chaos and still has the gall to stick his head into the Tower again."
Did he not realize how closely the Five Great Families were watching him now?
Artein let out a incredulous chuckle at the sheer fearlessness.
He pushed back his chair and stood.
Then he turned to the tall, golden-haired man who had made the report.
"Morris, prepare. We're going to meet this Havel."
"Do you intend to take his fragments?"
"Of course that's part of it."
Artein had come here fully intending to clear the 72nd floor.
His start had been delayed compared to the other families' direct descendants due to other matters.
But he was confident he could reach the top.
"That bastard made fools of our family. The least I can do is avenge my brother."
"I'll make the preparations."
The man called Morris stepped out immediately.
He was the vice-captain of the Meteor 2nd Knights, loyal to his captain's orders.
Once he was gone, Artein picked up his sword as well.
'If I catch Havel, I can solve two problems at once.'
First, repay the humiliation Glasis had suffered.
Second, deal with Memento Mori.
Hand Havel over to them, and they would stop.
Those bastards were still causing havoc while climbing the Tower.
'If I can drive them back down the Tower, the Five Great Families can reign supreme once more.'
Thanks to that damned youngest brother's stupidity.
From now on, managing the Tower would fall to him.
But that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
The position of Glasis family head wouldn't pass to him anyway.
'Father will outlive us by far longer.'
He had long transcended humanity.
As long as a being who had surpassed lifespan itself remained, the seat would stay vacant.
In that case, dominating the Tower wasn't a bad deal.
"Just you wait."
Murderous intent flickered in his eyes as he thought of Havel.
He would sever the bastard's head and resolve this incident once and for all.
The Five Great Families would show them how to catch both rabbits.
It didn't take Artein long to find Havel.
Havel had left his traces blatantly everywhere he went.
The biggest traces were the words of those from whom he had taken fragments.
Havel appears, and their groups get smashed.
And among them, the strongest one fights some guy with a strange tattoo.
Such incidents had occurred countless times on the 72nd floor.
What was curious was that none of the attacked climbers had died.
That alone showed how precisely he was holding back.
"He looks down on climbers."
Artein frowned as he followed Havel's trail.
Not killing a single one of the climbers he attacked.
It was an attitude that said he didn't care even if he earned their grudges.
'Arrogant, perhaps.'
Or maybe he simply avoided killing altogether.
Whatever the case, Artein disliked everything about him.
"Lord Artein, we're almost there."
At that moment, Vice-Captain Morris spoke up.
Havel's trail was fresh, from just moments ago.
"Pick up the pace."
Artein led the Meteor 2nd Knights swiftly through the forest.
And soon, they arrived at a clearing.
There stood a man staring at them impassively.
Silver hair bordering on white.
And eyes gleaming like blue gems.
The moment Artein saw his features, he knew.
That was Havel.
Beside him were a middle-aged man wiping sweat and a masked man.
And on the ground lay one man with a bull tattoo.
"Oh, that's..."
The masked man tilted his head upon recognizing them.
He seemed well-versed in intelligence.
"You're Havel, aren't you?"
As Artein spoke, Havel, who had been watching them from the start, shifted his gaze.
To the crest emblazoned on Artein's chest.
A familiar emblem.
One burned into Havel's memory.
"Glassis?"
Havel's eyes narrowed.
"I've been looking for you. Havel, the one who brought shame upon our family."
With that, he slowly placed his hand on his sword.
"The humiliation our family endured, and your reckless crimes on the 72nd floor."
Merely actions to clear the 72nd floor.
Yet Artein branded Havel's deeds as crimes.
"I, Artein Glasis, will punish you."
Havel, hearing that, slowly rubbed the back of his neck.
Then he let out a slow smile.
"Not Memento Mori, but something else came sniffing around."
But his next words made Artein falter.
Havel knew about Memento Mori.
"Lord Artein, that masked one is from the Graiza family."
At that instant, Morris recognized the masked man and offered advice.
Artein frowned at the counsel.
'Come to think of it, there was intel about Graiza's direct descendant being kidnapped.'
The kidnapper was none other than Memento Mori.
Probably to show the Five Great Families the price of breaking contracts.
Naturally, Graiza would have sent out search parties.
This guy too, no doubt.
'He must have asked Havel for help.'
The kidnapped Baria Graiza had traveled with Havel for a time, it was said.
Probably appealed to old ties and begged him to search together.
Havel would clash with Memento Mori sooner or later anyway.
"No info, no power. Pathetic lot."
Artein sneered and drew his sword.
The Meteor 2nd Knights drew theirs in unison.
Havel possessed fragments.
That alone gave the Meteor Knights reason to attack.
"H-Havel, sir... Glasis? That's one of the Five Great Families, right? What do we do?"
The middle-aged man beside Havel, Balop, turned to him in panic.
Ignoring him, Havel lightly rose from the rock he had been sitting on.
"Pyod."
"Ugh... grk."
Pyod, now too weak to even speak properly, groaned in response.
"You tangle with that long golden-haired one."
He wanted to pit him against Artein if possible.
But Pyod had fought back-to-back battles, his stamina at its limit.
Moreover, judging by the calamity aura he sensed, this wasn't ordinary skill.
At least on the level of a viper, one of the Whisperer's elites.
Pyod stood no chance.
"Artein, was it?"
Havel mentioned the name he had introduced earlier and cracked his neck.
His blue eyes gleamed coldly in that posture.
"How many fragments do you have?"
A statement that he cared for nothing but the fragments.
At those words, blue energy surged from Artein's sword.
And in an instant, that blue energy turned to light.
His sword began to multiply.
Havel, who had never seen Glasis's true swordsmanship, watched with interest.
After all, Dratein had shown nothing in the friendly match.
'The current Sword Saint belongs to Glasis.'
As Havel watched intrigued, Artein released his sword.
In that moment, a hundred blue swords encircled him.
"Let's see how long that mouth of yours keeps flapping."
With those words, Artein slashed with his hand.
Glassis Style Meteor Swordsmanship
Realm of a Hundred Swords
In that instant, a hundred swords streaked toward him, trailing light.
Each sword flew from a different direction, as if possessed of independent will.
A barrage no ordinary swordsman could parry.
Havel stared at the swords impassively, then raised his hand sword.
Clang!
In that moment, a single sword cry echoed.
When the sound reached Artein's ears...
His eyes began to widen slowly.
All the swords heading for Havel were effortlessly deflected.
The swords spun wildly in the air, losing balance.
Thud, thud, thump!
They crashed to the ground one after another, embedding here and there.
Then they slowly faded into motes of light.
His swords hadn't even grazed Havel before vanishing.
He hadn't seen a thing—whatever Havel had done.
That fact left Artein bewildered.
"Your brother awakened some special eyes."
Havel rested his hand on the sword atop his swung hand blade.
"What else can you show?"
As if pleading not to disappoint him.
Those words struck Artein's pride squarely.
"The rumors weren't exaggerated, it seems."
This time, a thousand swords formed around Artein.
And those thousand swords split into ten thousand.
The area filled completely with swords, as if the world itself were imprisoned in blades.
"Go ahead, feast your eyes as much as you like."
Glassis Style Meteor Swordsmanship
Realm of Ten Thousand Swords
The world of swords surged toward Havel.
And once more, a sound rang in his ears.
Clang!
Exactly one sword cry, just like before.
And the bizarre sight of every sword flying back into the sky unfolded before him.
Artein's eyes bulged wide.
He couldn't believe the scene.
"Not sure what I was supposed to see."
Havel finally drew his sword, infusing it with dawn light.
"If that's all you've got, I'll be disappointed."
The calamity moves.