Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: The First Trial
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As I entered through the gap where light was leaking, a massive door appeared before me.
It was an iron door with a handle roughly five meters high.
Thud.
I placed my hands on the bottom of the door and pushed with all my might.
As expected, the door didn't budge.
"So it won't open that easily."
When I drew upon the Wheel Energy Arts, a pale blue aura enveloped my entire body.
Shhh-shhh! Grrrrumble!
Soon, the crude iron door began to slowly give way.
"Oh! What a brutally simple solution."
Clack!
Opening the door just enough for one person to pass, I quickly slipped inside.
KABOOM!
The iron door then slammed shut with tremendous force.
If I had been even a moment late, I would have been crushed to a pulp in the doorway.
'Someone who doesn't meet the requirements wouldn't even be able to open the door.'
In fact, the very act of opening the door seemed to be the first trial.
Of course, there were occasional cases of people entering Esmeranta's Tower with the help of others.
But one hundred out of one hundred times, they were found torn to shreds on the outskirts of the Forest of the Dead.
It seemed the tower's trials did not permit any tricks.
Step. Step.
I cautiously looked around the first floor of the tower.
Passing through a corridor and heading inside, I found a vast space waiting for me.
But the tower's area, seen from the outside, wasn't this large.
'Space-expansion magic? No. Was a dimensional rift created with a barrier? Building something like this must have cost a fortune.'
I could see through the true nature of this space.
Members of the Riverune family are inherently equipped with a considerable level of magical aptitude.
Of course, the question of who built this massive space and for what purpose remained unanswered.
"But I don't have time to think about that."
Having entered Esmeranta's Tower, I now had to risk my life to overcome its trials.
Sure enough, the first trial was already approaching.
Shk! Shk!
A woman who had suddenly appeared in the middle of the empty, vast space.
She slowly approached, drawing two daggers.
As she gradually moved into the light, her face, once hidden in darkness, was revealed.
"Hmm."
Shing!
Letting out a small groan, I instinctively drew the Black Dragon Sword.
A feeling washed over me that if I didn't draw it now, I would never be able to again.
My opponent was Kairam, the Acting Head of the Rantzverger family.
Her white hair, though there was no wind, moved as if it were churning.
It was a phenomenon caused by the highly concentrated energy encroaching upon the surrounding space.
'How on earth could she have followed me all the way here?'
The Rantzverger family had the ability to deceive and tail me.
There were plenty of people in the family stronger than me, like Kairam or Dusk.
But that would only be possible if they had been watching me for a long time.
There was no reason to monitor me after I had faithfully completed my missions and entered a rest period.
I asked a question in my usual tone.
"What brings a busy person like you here? You look like you haven't even washed up yet."
"..."
But Kairam simply raised her daggers without a word.
A piercing killing intent washed over me, prickling the back of my neck.
'Wow! She's trying to send a valuable agent to his grave over one little joke. Hey! Acting Head, get a grip.'
The Acting Head was well aware that I was always this much of a chatterbox.
She's known me since I was a child; how could she not know?
And yet, she reacts like this.
The real Kairam certainly wouldn't have just brandished her daggers first.
She is, after all, a very famous... what's the word?
A hag—... No, just a very efficient person.
It would be normal for her to try to use a valuable asset like me rather than eliminate me.
Therefore, that thing was definitely not the real Acting Head.
Swoosh. Whoosh!
"Ah, damn!"
Just because I'd figured out my opponent's identity didn't mean the tower's trial was over.
As one of Kairam's moves grazed past me, the skin on my left arm was torn open.
Even though I dodged the moment I sensed her presence, I couldn't shake the pursuing daggers.
And that was despite being very familiar with that unfathomable technique.
'Ugh! It's the real Demonic Wheel Kill. That damn hag!'
The blades, imbued with a dark aura, moved as if they were leaping through space.
Moreover, thanks to her advanced Form-Shifting Invisibility Technique, the Acting Head's form was flashing here and there.
It was so insane that I was getting hit even with my eyes wide open.
Swoosh.
As a last resort, I tried using the Form-Shifting Invisibility Technique myself, but Kairam pinpointed my location immediately.
Swoosh. Clang!
'No way, this is completely broken!'
I couldn't help but be astonished by the stealth and precision of the Demonic Wheel Kill.
But responding by using the same technique was out of the question.
Mine is still incomplete.
'It's a fake anyway, why am I sticking to assassination arts? Ah, just go all out!'
Vwooom—! Fshhhh!
I launched a series of pale blue discs, tearing apart every possible location she could be.
The Heaven-Severing Lunar Eclipse, which I unleashed despite the strain, was quite effective.
Caught in the powerful gust of energy, her Form-Shifting Invisibility Technique was broken.
"Demonic Wheel Kill!"
Drawing upon the Wheel Energy Arts, I shouted the wrong technique name and thrust out the Black Dragon Sword.
It was a cheap trick to fluster my opponent, even if just a little.
Ah, don't think it's too dirty.
I may look fine on the outside, but I suffer from chronic conscience failure.
The technique I unleashed this time was the second form of the Heaven-Severing Nine Harmony Sword: Heaven-Severing Meteor.
I had a feeling Kairam would just dodge the Heaven-Severing Lunar Eclipse.
Fwoosh—! Shuuuuuu!
The blue flash fired from the sword's tip flew, leaving two tails of blue and white light.
Upon reaching its target, the aura exploded with a roar, unleashing countless fragments of aura.
KRAAAASH—!
Heaven-Severing Meteor possessed enough power to turn its target into a honeycomb.
There was no way she could block all thousands of fragments with just two daggers.
But she managed to evade it with an incredible technique.
Shhk.
The form my senses had detected was merely a collection of residual aura and afterimages left in the air.
Her real body had already closed the distance and was plunging a dagger into me.
Plunge!
"Keuk!"
I reflexively swung my elbow, but she pulled out the dagger and slipped away leisurely.
It was a movement as if she had anticipated my counterattack.
Pshk! Drip, drip, drip!
As the blade that had been lodged between my ribs was pulled out, crimson blood gushed forth.
'Damn it, it would have been better if it had stayed in.'
I wanted to seal the wound with magic, but there was no time.
Kairam, who had briefly retreated, unleashed the Demonic Wheel Kill once again.
My balance was so severely compromised that defense was out of the question.
CLANG!
And yet, surprisingly, I was able to block her attack.
As the moment of crisis approached, the Black Dragon Sword moved on its own to intercept the dagger.
Honestly, even though I did it myself, I had no idea how I'd managed it.
'This worked? Why?'
All I had intended to do was defend with Heaven-Severing Flash.
Immediately after, Kairam tried to overwhelm me with the Demonic Wheel Kill.
CLAAANG!
"Gak!"
The impact transmitted at the moment of collision was truly immense.
It was enough to feel as if the internal injuries I'd sustained in the fight with Brooks were flaring up again.
It was skill befitting one who had reached the level of 'Supreme Secret.'
'Supreme Secret' was the title referring to the Rantzverger's greatest assassin, the Acting Head.
'But does this even make sense? How can I fight the old hag for this long?'
The Black Dragon Sword moved gracefully, following the principles of the Silent Flowing Sword art.
Strangely, I was somehow managing to continue the fight.
Of course, wounds were steadily accumulating all over my body.
Considering I was just on the cusp of the 4th tier, it was an incredible feat.
It was at that very moment that I realized something important.
"Could it be that this changes based on my imagination?"
I had never actually witnessed the Acting Head's martial prowess.
I had only ever picked up rumors here and there.
That, ironically, worked to my advantage.
Since I didn't know her specific level of power, her abilities were being defined based on my imagination.
Furthermore, one fact made this speculation even clearer.
'Kairam is only using one technique. It must be because the most powerful assassination art I know is the Demonic Wheel Kill.'
If the Acting Head's true skills were on display, I wouldn't even have time to react.
She would be unleashing assassination arts far superior to the Demonic Wheel Kill as easily as breathing.
My head and body would have long since been separated and rolling on the floor.
Once I realized that, my opponent no longer felt so threatening.
As the fight continued, I started to get a feel for it.
I felt like I was beginning to understand how to break through this illusion.
'Yes. This is it!'
Now that I could trade blows with her on equal footing, all that remained was to find a way to deliver the final strike.
KACHING!
But doing anything more than that was not so easy.
'Think. The weapons I possess are limitless.'
I was someone who had learned the secret arts passed down only to the direct lines of two families.
If I were to overcome the tower's trial, the clue had to lie within the secret arts of Riverune and Rantzverger.
I drew upon the Wheel Energy Arts and the Konntraeger Energy Arts simultaneously.
In truth, it wasn't intentional.
As I deployed an assassination art while using a Riverune secret technique, I had unconsciously drawn upon both energy arts at once.
But then, a jolt of insight shot through my mind.
'There's... no conflict?'
Swoooosh.
First, I cast Heaven-Severing Lunar Eclipse and then overlaid the Demonic Wheel Kill on top of it.
When I did, the characteristic roar, like venting steam, was completely absent.
The casting of the secret technique was incredibly precarious, like walking on thin ice.
The slightest misalignment would cause the technique to fail, wasting precious time and energy.
I carefully maintained the balance and swung the Black Dragon Sword.
Shhhk-chak!
The Heaven-Severing Lunar Eclipse, shrouded by the Demonic Wheel Kill, only revealed its true form when it was right upon Kairam.
The moment the pale blue streak of light flashed, a faint sound tickled my ears.
It was a minuscule noise, a stark contrast to the original Heaven-Severing Lunar Eclipse.
Click!
The Black Dragon Sword, which had vanished for an instant, was already back in its sheath.
Shuuuuu! Crack-crack-crack!
Soon, the dark blue energies repelled each other, rapidly expanding their range.
The shockwave generated by the power of aura and mana belatedly destroyed everything within its range.
Fssshhhhh.
Finally, Kairam's form, struck by the new secret technique, crumbled into dust and scattered.
"I... I did it."
By adding the stealth of the Demonic Wheel Kill to the Heaven-Severing Nine Harmony Sword, an unexpected power emerged.
Normally, mixing different secret arts would only create something useless.
But in that state of selfless absorption, I had managed to make a new discovery.
'A fitting name would be Heaven-Severing Demonic Moon.'
Of course, there were countless aspects that needed refinement.
Besides, my Demonic Wheel Kill was still incomplete.
Furthermore, I would need to fuse the lower-level secret techniques as well.
I couldn't fight with just Heaven-Severing Demonic Moon, after all.
Thump!
As a sudden wave of pain washed over me, I dropped to one knee.
"Ugh! Why does it hurt now?"
I had been so intensely focused that I hadn't even felt the pain until now.
'Cure.'
Tsssss.
As I cast an 8th-tier healing spell, the bleeding began to stop rapidly.
The pain also gradually subsided.
A dull discomfort still lingered, but I couldn't cast a higher-level healing spell.
My body was in such a terrible state that it wouldn't be strange if I collapsed on the spot.
Step. Step.
Suddenly, I heard footsteps from ahead.
'Ah, they really don't give you a moment's rest.'
Clutching my dizzy head, I forced myself to stand.
I couldn't just stand here and get attacked.
But when I saw the opponent's face, my eyes widened.
Because an utterly absurd figure had appeared.
"F-Father?"