Chapter 127
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 127
Chapter Title: Lesson 26. Push Away When You Get Close - 2
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Ultimate weapons weren't meant to be used lightly.
They were for situations where there was no other way to resolve the crisis—a do-or-die measure.
As they were typically crafted as a last resort, ultimate weapons shared certain characteristics, and among them was an ironclad rule observed in every game...
The enemies defeated by an ultimate weapon granted no experience points!
'That's why I didn't want to use it, but with things this dire, I have no choice.'
―You're really...
The ultimate weapon Ban Yu-won had created, 'Shoot to the Constellation's Side,' faithfully adhered to this rule as well.
It teleported everything it touched, leaving no chance to recover concepts, and it didn't even kill them outright.
It simply vanished foes from sight—while giving a taste of their own medicine to the constellation that dared interfere with their exploration!
―シュウウウン
"Good, it's working perfectly."
Ban Yu-won nodded in satisfaction as he watched the gem bracelet slice through the air at his command, erasing every monster in its path.
The bracelet, flashing blue as it moved at high speed, appeared to the naked eye as nothing more than a beam of light streaking across the ground.
For reference, its name as confirmed by his divine authority was 'Yergel's Summoning Bracelet.'
It surely had a true name, but Yergel was the moniker humans used for the constellation.
―Think too lightly of constellations, and you'll regret it big time?
'They started it. They've already resolved to shatter faces and knees alike.'
―Fine, if you're prepared, I have nothing more to say... Anyway, even with control imposed, aren't you handling it a bit too freely?
'I've got the Space Control concept.'
The divine authority of Space Control, originally granted by the constellation sponsoring Exodus to intruders in the tower, hadn't seen much action since falling into Ban Yu-won's hands.
However, during his solo delve into the tower where he faced the World Giant, he'd absorbed a massive amount of its subordinate concept, Air Pressure, propelling the concept's depth forward in one go.
Thanks to that, his overall grasp of space-related domains solidified, making it easy to manipulate objects like this!
―Is that really all? It feels off—it's as natural as wielding the Rainstorm Sword...
'Hoo, you're sharp...'
"Master—!"
Just before the horde of once-human monsters could join the fray, a blue beam pierced their ranks, and the monsters it touched vanished without a trace.
Lucelle, concluding that only Ban Yu-won could pull off such a feat, looked up to find him.
Ban Yu-won waved to her and shouted.
"Lucelle! You can fall back now!"
"Just a bit longer!"
Until moments ago, she'd been panting heavily, but spotting Ban Yu-won instantly lit up her face with energy, revitalizing her movements.
Was it his imagination, or was her already near-4-meter frame growing even larger in real time?
'Is the Giant concept growing within her right now?'
Given that Ban Yu-won couldn't accommodate the Giant concept, it seemed giants meshed better with beastkin who harbored wild instincts than ordinary humans.
Indeed, after acquiring the Giant concept, Lucelle gained semi-beastification, and now her feral side was activated almost to the limit.
'Maybe the Giant concept will evolve into something entirely different inside her.'
Just as his magic power and body had transformed.
The Giant concept might diverge into something new through interactions with her various internal concepts.
In any case, their compatibility was at its peak, so he hoped she'd clash with more giants next time to plunder their concepts.
"What the hell, that armor..."
"Have all the other cities already fallen?!"
"No, but they're vanishing before they can even reach the walls. Damn it, what the hell is going on?!"
Meanwhile, the soldiers were in chaos from the wave reinforcements and the sudden blue beam, clutching their heads in confusion.
But Ban Yu-won had no interest in their cries or settling grudges with neighboring cities, so he simply accelerated the bracelet to wipe out the incoming wave.
―Constellation [Breath of Life] begins to wary of you upon seeing you handle a constellation too easily.
―Constellation [Clock of the Toy Legion] is pleased to see your reckless and challenging attempt yield highly effective results.
They can beware all they want—it's already too late.
Ban Yu-won hummed a tune as he continued his work.
The gem bracelet roamed the battlefield tirelessly, sending everything it touched beyond space to where Yergel awaited.
―シュウウウウ...
Within mere minutes, silence fell over the west gate.
No living being stirred outside the gates except Lucelle.
"Lucelle, this area's secure now. Let's move."
"Yes!"
The second wave—comprising reinforcements from the neighboring city and monster troops—wasn't limited to the west gate.
According to Tike's observations, waves were incoming to the south gate (which Ban Yu-won had already cleared once) and the east gate as well.
The north... Dokgo Yeon and the Mount Golem were still locked in a mythic struggle.
She'd signal if overwhelmed, and she hadn't used the Life Candy he'd given her yet, so she should be fine, but...
"East gate's the problem. Lucelle, head there first?"
"Got it. I'll wait for you. Hurry, okay?"
Lucelle smiled brightly, then kicked off toward the east gate.
Her condition remained stable even as they parted; her earlier fatigue at the west gate seemed less from prolonged combat and more from being apart from him too long.
Her urging him to hurry stemmed from that.
'Her core stabilizing is great, but struggling every time she fights away from me is concerning.'
―She's got you hooked. That sly one pretends to give everything but actually takes it all.
'Weird, I swear there's another fairy like that around me...'
Yet it didn't feel bad at all—infuriatingly so.
Ah, so even this is part of being hooked, Ban Yu-won realized grandly.
"We can't hold any longer— we'll all die here— It's the Grand Sorcerer!"
"The Grand Sorcerer's back!"
"Grand Sorcerer!"
By the time he arrived at the south gate.
Thanks to his prior sweep, the monster numbers were manageable, and the soldiers were holding steady. He unleashed 'Shoot to the Constellation's Side' once more, clearing them out.
"As expected of the Grand Sorcerer!"
"That spell was even more amazing than before!"
"What did I tell you? The Grand Sorcerer will save our city!"
"Grand Sorcerer! Grand Sorcerer!"
"Grand Sorcerer! Grand Sorcerer!"
The soldiers' reaction was explosively enthusiastic.
One might think Ban Yu-won was some rock vocalist roaming a cosmic battlefield with a guitar slung over his shoulder, not a mercenary.
"Their reaction here's weird."
―Depending on the impression you leave on tower denizens, you might unlock special achievements. You're doing well... whether that impression is accurate or not is beside the point.
"Ah, achievements."
Ban Yu-won nodded, recalling how his 'Honor' concept had surged the day after his solo tower challenge.
The tower's achievements were likely tied to Honor.
He couldn't quite discern its power even with analysis, though.
'A rank established by recognition from many beings and worlds. Rank... Could it elevate my existence like the Soul concept?'
Either way, it wasn't harmful, and earning achievements by helping NPCs fueled his motivation.
Ban Yu-won teleported every monster—leaving no trace of the wave—and coolly departed.
―グオオオオオオオオ!
―キーひぃぃぃ!
The east gate was a sight to behold.
It resembled a zombie apocalypse, with monsters filling the hills, poised to fill the moat and scale the walls any second!
"Ban, you're too late!"
"Yu-won—!"
Amid the chaos, Light, Lucelle, and Eve somehow held the final defensive line.
Reaching their limit, they shouted a mix of relief and exhaustion upon seeing him.
Ban Yu-won, surveying the east gate's horror, wondered if monsters shared some telepathic link during waves.
Otherwise, how could so many have converged here instead of the other gates?
"Stop gawking and help!"
"Alright, everyone fall back!"
"Tch!"
As the ragged Rebellion members retreated urgently, a barrage of magic bullets rained from the sky, halting the monsters.
Tike's timely suppressive fire.
By the time the monsters resumed their charge, the blue beam was already weaving through their midst.
―シュウウウ
Watching the beam hurl everything beyond this space felt like the cathartic satisfaction of erasing a page crammed with text.
―How many have you sent packing?
"Do you remember every single bun you've eaten?"
―Quick with the comeback, huh?
"You didn't keep us waiting, Master!"
Lucelle leaped gracefully onto the ramparts and slipped in naturally.
Deactivating all concepts to revert to human form, she seemed worlds apart from the rampaging behemoth of moments ago.
"Even now, your divine prowess astounds me. Handling a constellation like a toy... As expected of Master."
"Yaaah...!"
Her emotions heightened from back-to-back battles, Lucelle flushed and closed the distance—
"Don't just chat between you two, include me...!"
"Uh, yeah. Good work, Light. It's almost over."
Grateful for Light's perfect timing, Ban Yu-won patted him reassuringly and turned back to the battlefield.
But.
"—Huh?"
Before long, monsters were being sucked into the gem bracelet.
Ban Yu-won hadn't programmed such overwhelming suction.
―Aaah, just as expected.
Sellon sighed as if he'd foreseen it, sounding faintly amused.
―I told you—underestimate constellations at your peril.
"Must feel good to be right."
Freed from Ban Yu-won's control, the bracelet halted, devouring the area's monsters while radiating ever brighter, bluer light.
"So the constellation's abandoning its tower share to intervene directly now?"
―Exactly. After all that provocation, it's only natural.
"I've been waiting for it."
Ban Yu-won snorted and drew the Executioner's Longsword.
"Breaking this will screw over the constellation... Kanto perfectly."
―Confident?
"If not, I'll rely on Dokgo Yeon."
Ban Yu-won was brutally honest.
Of course, Dokgo Yeon was still tangling with the north's Mount Golem...
"It's coming."
Lucelle whispered.
The bracelet absorbed every wave-spawned monster, leaving the battlefield in perfect void—then.
―ウウウウン
The bracelet ascended as a heart, birthing something enormously gigantic and horrific—
―クワアアアアン!
—it failed to manifest fully, detonating massively instead and crumbling in wretched self-destruction.
―Eh?
Sellon sounded bewildered.
―What?
"Phew, it worked."
Ban Yu-won sighed in relief, confirming his measure had succeeded.
Sellon, however, remained unconvinced.
―What worked?
"You said it earlier—me controlling the bracelet felt as natural as the Rainstorm Sword. That's because I'd implanted Soul Flame in advance."
―Ah...
Sellon uttered dumbly.
Now he looked the fool for warning against underestimating constellations!
Ban Yu-won's fluid control and perfectly timed detonation were thanks to the pre-embedded Soul Flame!
"Sellon, there's one more commonality among all ultimate weapons."
Ban Yu-won eyed the colossal concepts—golden strings—rising from the corpse of the immense entity that self-destructed before birth, a satisfied smile spreading as he spoke.
"To prevent capture and reuse by enemies, they always self-destruct after fulfilling their purpose."