Chapter 84
Chapter 84
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 84
Chapter Title: The Tattered Crow, Priest Akria
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The tattered crow.
Priest Akria.
He had become nothing more than a tool that would answer any question asked of him.
A magical device that could turn even nonexistent events into reality.
That was Akria, after receiving Havel's "education."
Havel picked up Akria's Night Spear.
Crack!
With that, he snapped the Night Spear clean in two.
It was a spear forged by the power of a god.
Yet even as it shattered so pathetically, Akria couldn't utter a word.
Right now, gods meant nothing to him—Havel's fist was far more terrifying.
Havel tossed the broken spear to the ground.
It crumbled into dust and vanished.
In its place, Calamity scattered into the air.
Havel raised his hand and absorbed it.
As always, his numerical value surged dramatically once more.
'Calamity can't even push me toward Transcendence, yet these numbers just keep climbing.'
He felt a twinge of regret, but decided not to dwell on it.
Sacrifices would appear on their own as he climbed the Tower anyway.
"Key fragment."
At Havel's words, Akria hurriedly offered up the key fragment.
Havel pocketed it without a word.
With that, he had collected every last key fragment.
Afterward, Havel dragged Akria along like baggage and stepped outside.
The Gardan tribesfolk had gathered outside, watching over the temple.
The fate of their tribe hung in the balance.
But they lacked the power to do anything about it.
So they simply waited for the outcome.
Havel thrust Akria forward as if it were perfect timing.
"Ahh, Priest!"
"It's over. Our tribe is finished."
"O God."
The Gardan tribesfolk let out cries of lamentation.
Havel spoke before them all.
"Hear me, people of the Gardan tribe."
"These ones plotted treachery by exploiting false revelations from the God of Night, and went so far as to impersonate the God of Night himself."
"Thus, the Lion of Night, Havel, has thwarted their schemes. The chieftain has returned to the heavens' embrace, and this one has declared his intent to repent for his sins."
As he spoke, Havel shook Akria roughly by the scruff of the neck.
"Yes, yes! Exactly! From now on, my schemes will no longer come to pass, as per the will of the Lion of Night!"
"Remember this. You followed the scheming priest. Your sins will never vanish."
Calamity poured from Havel's body.
The tribesfolk trembled in shock.
"Wherever I am, I will watch you. Carry your sins for the rest of your lives."
With those words, Havel gripped Akria's throat tightly.
"Should you ever dream of treachery again..."
Havel's eyes blazed like fire.
"The Lion of Night shall appear before you once more."
The moment he finished speaking, Havel kicked off the ground.
Lightspeed-enhanced velocity.
To the Gardan tribesfolk, it must have looked like he vanished in an instant.
As Havel plunged into the forest at lightspeed, Akria's eyes rolled back in his head.
The aftershock of the speed had blown his mind away.
"Lord Havel, your acting is flawless. You must have done this a lot."
Elashiya marveled at Havel's performance.
And why not? In her eyes, he had always been a tyrant.
Tyrants were prideful.
She never imagined such a prideful man would put on an act like this.
"I've always been used to addressing crowds."
"Were you perhaps the head of some great family?"
Havel didn't answer.
He was no longer the head of that family, after all.
"We're heading back to Tendarr."
Havel kicked off the ground again, still carrying Akria.
It wasn't long before he reached Tendarr.
"Balop, there—block from there! It's breaking through, you idiot!"
"Uwaaaah, on it!"
In that moment, Havel heard a commotion.
At the entrance to the Tendarr tribal lands.
Hastily erected wooden barricades came into view.
They barely qualified as barricades, really—just felled trees crudely reinforced with magic.
"Hold the line! The tribesfolk are running out of steam too!"
Meanwhile, Tendarr's chieftain Baldoran was leading the children and women while shouting orders.
They were blocking the infected from the Night's Seed from breaking out.
Paiod, Balop, and Owen were dashing about, helping out.
Though they were small in stature, their strength matched the tribesfolk's, so they couldn't just stand by.
"Owen."
Havel had already landed atop the wooden barricade and called out to him.
"Ah, Lord Havel!"
Owen's face lit up at the sight of him.
Havel tossed Priest Akria of Gardan at his feet.
"Elashiya, you too."
He dropped her down as well.
"Wait here."
With that, Havel leaped beyond the barricade.
Caaw!
Caaaaw!
The crow tribesfolk infected by the Night's Seed turned toward him.
They clearly weren't in their right minds.
The moment they spotted Havel, they kicked off the ground and charged.
Havel slowly raised his hand before them.
Akria had used the Night Spear to absorb Calamity.
But Havel had no need for the Night Sword.
His body could absorb Calamity endlessly on its own.
Caaaaw!
Aaack!
In that instant, pitch-black Calamity began flowing from the crow tribesfolk's bodies toward Havel, accompanied by their screams.
All the black Calamity within them was drawn to him.
They writhed in agony.
But Havel paid no mind and continued siphoning it away.
Thud! Thud!
Soon after, the crow tribesfolk began collapsing.
From their rolled-back eyes, it seemed they'd lost consciousness.
Havel repeated the process over and over.
Each time, his numerical values climbed steadily.
Even single digits added up to a considerable amount.
How much time passed as he roamed Tendarr village, seeking out presences?
In the end, he had stripped every last bit of Calamity from the tribesfolk.
The Tendarr tribal lands looked as if a disaster had swept through, with tribesfolk sprawled everywhere.
Havel walked over to them, then headed back toward the barricade.
Thump!
He leaped lightly over it with a kick of his foot.
There stood the exhausted Tendarr tribesfolk.
Chieftain Baldoran alone remained on his feet, waiting for Havel.
The youngest Tendarr chieftain.
And the one who cherished his tribesfolk the most.
That was probably why.
In this disaster, he had fought desperately to protect them, and now he looked a utter mess.
But the eyes that treasured his tribe burned with sincerity.
'I've got a good eye for people.'
Havel didn't dislike men like this.
Even if they were enemies, those who prioritized protecting their subordinates earned his respect.
"Baldoran."
Havel called out to him from atop the barricade.
Behind Havel's back.
The setting sun cast its glow upon him.
To Baldoran, it was a sight he would never forget.
"The Tendarr tribe is safe now."
The moment Havel stated the fact, Baldoran's eyes widened hugely.
He immediately dropped to his knees on the ground.
"Thank you. You are the benefactor of our Tendarr."
He bowed his head so low it nearly touched the earth.
Havel descended before him.
Then he drew the Star Sword from his waist.
"Baldoran, other tribes beyond Tendarr are suffering from the Night's Seed as well."
Baldoran's eyes flew wide in shock.
He hadn't heard news of the other tribes amid Tendarr's crisis.
His gaze shifted to the Gardan priest.
He realized Havel hadn't brought him for no reason.
"As you suspect, this incident is the doing of the third-ranked Gardan priest."
Flames ignited in Baldoran's eyes.
He who cherished his tribe so fiercely.
How could he let this slide after his people were reduced to such a state?
But executing him now would be premature.
"The Star Sword can absorb the Calamity from those afflicted by the Night's Seed."
Havel presented Baldoran with a choice.
"You have two paths. One: Use the Night's Seed to bring the tribesfolk to their knees and force their submission to Tendarr."
This was what the Gardan tribe had wanted.
"Two: Save those afflicted by the Night's Seed and become a hero. But that alone won't achieve unification or submission."
Unification couldn't be won through admiration alone.
It was a lesson Havel had learned through the Unification Wars.
So he laid it out for Baldoran.
Which path would he choose?
The kneeling Baldoran rose to his feet.
"I have received the grace of Lord Havel for my tribe."
He took the sword Havel offered with both hands.
"One who receives grace must pay it forward, no?"
A sharp one.
Positions won through strength and cunning were always under threat.
But those earned through admiration and respect stood firm, unyielding.
Baldoran knew this well.
"We were brothers to begin with."
Though split into five tribes, they were all kin at heart.
In this brutal fratricide, the youngest brother chose to save all his elder siblings.
"It's the duty of the little brother."
Baldoran grinned broadly, and Havel nodded.
"Go."
Resolve burned in Baldoran's eyes.
He bowed his head.
Then entrusted his tribesfolk to the others before departing.
To save the other tribes, just as Havel had saved his own.
"Baldoran."
Paiod called out to him then.
In Havel's absence, Paiod and Baldoran had fought the Night's Seed side by side.
Perhaps that was why their bond had grown so strong.
"Give it your all. You've got this."
Havel had noticed Paiod was quite the sentimental fellow.
Even treating a Calamity Seed Demon as a comrade.
Despite not even being able to communicate, a deep friendship shone between them.
'Even without me, they've been gaining experience. That's what it means.'
He realized anew.
The Tower wasn't a place climbed entirely alone.
"Haha, exactly as you say! Go show 'em!"
Balop chimed in loudly, and Baldoran glanced briefly at Paiod.
A small one and a crow.
Their gazes met for a moment before Baldoran let out a short laugh.
"Yeah. I'll show them."
With that, Baldoran departed with head held high.
The Lion of Night.
The title fit him perfectly as his wings soared powerfully into the sky.
Watching his retreating figure, Havel gradually released his gigantification.
Soon, Havel had shrunk back to normal size.
"Elashiya, Paiod, Balop, Owen."
Havel called the four of them over.
He had left the other tribesfolk in Baldoran's hands.
A long time if it felt long, short if it felt short.
But a man like Baldoran, who gave his all for his tribe, would surely handle it well.
"We're heading to the next floor."
"You sure it's okay just sending that guy off like that?"
Paiod asked, glancing in Baldoran's direction.
"Then you go help him and catch up."
Paiod made a face at Havel's words.
Havel chuckled briefly.
"Don't worry. The results will come from the upper floor."
On the 7th Hierarchy, events from lower floors reflected above.
Paiod understood the implication.
It meant Havel trusted Baldoran.
"Owen, what about the 74th floor?"
"According to reports, it's a city with advanced civilization."
The 7th Hierarchy grew more civilized the higher one went.
The highest floor climbers were tackling right now was the 76th.
Rumor had it crows there lived with a civilization even more advanced than the present era.
That was why all climbers wondered.
If they reached the 79th floor...
What civilization awaited them?
"We'll see it with our own eyes."
Havel fitted the key fragments together.
In a flash of light, they formed a single key.
The moment Havel raised it toward the sky...
Transparent, floating stairs appeared before them.
The path to the next floor.
"Let's go."
Havel stepped onto the stairs.
"Time for the next floor."