Kays Translations

Chapter 116: Collapse

“Your highness Dion, shouldn’t we hasten the troops? It’s possible Lord Lucius has headed to the upper levels.”

One of the knights ran up to Dion.

Using the tower’s magic circle, they could instantly transfer to any height they had previously reached. Therefore, if Lucius had climbed to the 5th or 6th layer, they needed to consider that he might no longer be on the 4th layer.

However, few knights had even ventured into the 4th layer, let alone the 5th, where the 1st-class gun monsters roamed.

Thus, the advance party was selected from those who had at least reached the 3rd layer, and they pursued from there.

“It’s unnecessary. If he were the type to abandon the Kyrgyzstan, he wouldn’t have come to this tower in the first place.”

“The Kyrgyz tribe, you mean?”

The knight looked puzzled.

Dion gave him a look as if addressing someone dim-witted. He had explained the king’s assassination to emphasize that they held the Kyrgyz tribe as hostages.

“Most of the Kyrgyz, especially the young ones, have never set foot on the 3rd layer. It’s reasonable to think he started from the 2nd layer. He likely rode wyverns from the 2nd to the 3rd and 4th layers, then switched to walking halfway up the 4th layer to conserve magic.”

“So, we will catch up with Lord Lucius near the top of the 4th layer! That’s good to hear. The 5th layer only has an exit at the top, so it’s uncertain if anyone can return alive!”

The knight smiled, seemingly reassured.

“It doesn’t matter if we don’t catch up.”

“Then who will capture him?”

“This is a hunt. We are merely driving the prey. The ‘hunters’ are already in place.”

“As expected of your highness Dion, everything is planned out.”

The knight returned to the unit, looking satisfied. Dion watched him coldly.

—Regardless of Lucius’s fate, all the knights and Kyrgyz will be sent to the 5th layer.

Lucius was unaware, but the enchantment of fascination gradually corrupts the mind when repeatedly cast on specific individuals. Casting it over a wide area, as done now, is not its intended use, making it unstable and likely to break under certain conditions.

Naturally, this state wouldn’t last long. The enchantment had to be dispelled before the knights or the Kyrgyz could survive and testify.

The tower was an ideal place to eliminate inconvenient forces. The method wasn’t invented by Lady Adelaide but was a modified version of a tactic used many times.

Even so, a few elites like the head of the guard, Mark, might return, but those selected could be dealt with using the enchantment’s original usage.

“The moment you entered the tower, it was over, Lucius.”

Dion smirked to himself.

***

Lucius and the Kyrgyz reached the top floor of the 4th layer.

Beyond the magic barrier was a single path. On either side were massive pools of magma.

—Blinding.

The high-temperature magma emitted a dazzling light, covering everything except the path.

While Lucius, protected by Chiyou, could manage, the Kyrgyz couldn’t open their eyes.

Lucius had a dragon knight use a freezing spell to counteract the heat for the Kyrgyz.

“…Someone’s there.”

Focusing his gaze, Lucius saw a figure standing midway along the path.

A large man wearing worn leather armor and a tattered cloak. His face was partially obscured by unkempt hair and a scruffy beard.

His face and hands were scarred, hinting at his battle-hardened past.

—He’s not a knight.

The man glared at Lucius.

“Are you the reincarnator?”

The term “reincarnator” referred to someone who used the miraculous stone, the “Magic Skeleton Stone.” Few knew the term, and even fewer understood it referred to those with past lives.

“I am, but please let us pass.”

“Leave your life, and the rest may pass.”

The man’s magic surged, clearly ready for battle.

Lucius donned Chiyou and summoned his magic spear.

“Then I’ll force my way through!”

He dashed down the magma path, thrusting his spear.

The thrust was meant to stop just short.

The man didn’t move, raising his right hand instead.

—A black blade from his right arm.

The spear thrust was blocked by a scythe-like black blade growing from the man’s arm. It wasn’t a magic sword, a magic tool, or a puppet.

—An enchanted technique?

The man glared at Lucius.

“If you’re not going all out, I’ll come to you.”

The man swiftly closed in on Lucius.

—Too naive.

Lucius abandoned the unwieldy spear and summoned a magic sword.

The light sword clashed with the man’s scythe.

Relying on Chiyou’s strength, Lucius pushed through with the sword.

The man was sent flying, gracefully landing on the path despite his size.

At that moment, Lucius heard the sound of cutting wind.

The evil dragon, waiting for the right moment, flew over the magma, preparing to unleash a breath attack.

“Stop. If the path is destroyed, the Kyrgyz can’t pass.”

The narrow path wasn’t suited for the dragon’s attacks.

The dragon, sulking, swallowed its breath.

“You won’t win with simple spells. As expected of a reincarnator. But…”

Suddenly, a white arm extended from the man’s back.

The arm, covered in pure white fur, also had a black, scythe-like blade attached, identical to the one on the man’s right arm.

“Shall I lend you a hand, my other half?”

“Yes, lend me your strength, Arioch.”

Something covered in white fur floated up from the man’s back, revealing itself. It was a body larger than the man himself.

An albino, perhaps. It was a lion made of light particles, with white fur and red eyes.

The magic emanating from it was unmistakably of a supreme level.

—A supreme-level familiar. They’re more common than I thought.

“Who… are you?”

“I am a ‘Hunter,’ one who exterminates reincarnators who bring calamity.”

The man’s face merged with the lion’s body, and the man’s body began to glow.

Lucius shielded his eyes from the blinding light.

When the light subsided, there stood a gigantic white lion.

Black, enormous scythes grew from its limbs.

—What’s going on?

There was no doubt that the lion was a gun monster. And it was cloaked in a manner reminiscent of the eastern-style familiar, the Byakko (White Tiger).

While Lucius was bewildered, the lion charged at incredible speed, far faster than before.

—Fast!

The black blade attacked Lucius’s armor, leaving a scratch. The lion, having passed by, landed and attacked again.

It moved with both agility and ferocity.

Lucius countered with his sword.

The light sword and the black scythe clashed.

A series of fierce attacks followed. Though Lucius accumulated scratches, none were fatal.

After sustaining several scratches, Lucius felt a strange sensation.

—I’m losing strength…

It wasn’t his magic, but his physical strength that was draining away. The sensation was similar to when he fought the life-draining monster dragon.

The more his life force was drained, the more Arioch, the gun monster, shone before him.

The scythes on its limbs grew even blacker in contrast to its glowing body.

“A technique that converts stolen life force into light.” 

Lucius murmured.

The white lion crouched and charged again, just as before.

“Hmph!”

Its speed was extraordinary.

Lucius raised his shield, but the lion’s strength was now incomparable to before. Lucius’s massive body was lifted off the ground along with the shield.

—Its physical abilities have also increased.

As the lion continued its assault, it spoke.

“My technique is not of light but of darkness. The stronger the light, the denser the darkness. The blackness of the blades reflects the technique’s strength.”

Suddenly, about ten black scythes appeared around Lucius. The blades attacked.

“Ugh!”

A remote activation technique. A long-range attack.

The blades pierced his shoulders and back, pain coursing through him.

As he tried to pull out the blades, his body was dragged toward them.

A binding technique.

Awaiting him was the black man, ready with a diagonal slash.

Lucius’s armor received a deep cut from shoulder to waist.

“Evil dragon!”

Unable to bear it, Lucius called for the evil dragon. Though he had previously told it to hold back, there was no longer any choice.

The evil dragon quickly grabbed the white lion in its jaws and threw it.

The white lion, pulled by gravity, fell into the sea of magma.

“Did I win…?”

Immediately after, numerous black blades ran through the magma. The molten rock was sliced apart.

Standing in the split magma was the white lion, its scythes now even blacker.

So black that they didn’t reflect light, appearing almost two-dimensional.

“The ultimate technique of familiars, Unity.”

The lion vanished and reappeared behind Lucius.

—It’s beyond fast.

Fear ran down Lucius’s spine.

He raised his shield, but it was sliced clean in two. He swung his sword at the lion, but only a residual image remained as it disappeared from before him.

It reappeared a few meters away.

Immediately, the evil dragon attacked with its three heads, but it too was cut down.

The evil dragon’s massive body slid into the magma, causing a splash of molten rock.

But the evil dragon was not finished. Before the magma droplets could fall back into the sea, it unleashed three breaths, pushing the magma aside.

It’s the retaliation of the evil dragon.

The white lion easily evaded it, almost as if teleporting.

“Are you just going to watch?”

Amidst their shock, the magma, once split apart by the breath, was sliced again before the surface could seal.

It seemed the white lion dove into the boiling magma.

—Everything is happening too fast.

Once more, the sea of lava split open, revealing the evil dragon pierced by dozens of black scythes in its chest.

At the bottom of the magma, the dragon was sewn with countless blades.

—What’s happening?

Understanding couldn’t keep up with what was happening right before his eyes.

“It’s over.”

Before the broken magma could cover them again, the lion kicked off the bottom and closed in on Chiyou in an instant.

Lucius manifested his magic spear in desperation.

The spear clashed with the scythe.

Despite his defense, Lucius himself was blown away by the impact.

He fell onto a magic circle.

“This can’t be…”

Lucius’s surroundings suddenly darkened.

When he regained consciousness, he found himself in a cold world wrapped in ice, a stark contrast to the scene just moments ago.

The Kyrgyz people and the evil dragon were nowhere to be seen.

Immediately trying to return, he found the magic circle gone.

He recalled Melania’s words about there being only one exit on the top of the 5th layer.

“Evil dragon… Protect the Kyrgyz people… Protect them.”

He wished desperately, but there was no response from the evil dragon’s consciousness.

It was likely sealed at the bottom of the sea of magma.

Separated completely from the evil core, he couldn’t even use its dragon flame or dark pressure.

Though he kept thinking it might be a lie, only the cold wind blew.

As he stood there dumbfounded, he suddenly felt warm water on his cheek.

His vision was obscured by a sensation like tears flowing backward.

—It’s the power of Lauren’s formula.

It was a visual information transfer to a distant place.

In the displayed images, Lauren and the others were all captured by soldiers.

The crest on the soldiers’ mantles was that of the Empire.

“Empire… Why are they in the capital?”

Not only Lauren’s group but also the citizens of the capital and the remaining nobles were being restrained.

In the noble district visible ahead, nobles who resisted were being slaughtered one after another.

There was no response from the dragon knights Lucius had sent. They seemed to have vanished.

It seemed Lucius’s mother, Emily, shouted something. He couldn’t hear it, but it was unmistakable.

Lauren’s head was forcibly shaken, and she looked up at the sky.

At the end of her gaze was a gigantic magic circle.

From the floating magic circle, something terrifying was emerging, a symbol of terror.

—Empire’s airships…

They were the same type of magic ships that once attacked the eastern regions.

And there weren’t just one or two of them. There were over forty in sight.

Each headed north, east, and south.

It was obvious they were targeting all the states except the western one.

He didn’t know what had happened, but he could predict what was going to happen. He understood.

States other than the western one were going to meet their end.

Furthermore, from a place far from the capital, another airship took off.

“A vanguard…?”

It was probably from the unit currently attacking the capital.

As Lauren looked around, large fragments of buildings rained down.

It seemed an explosion had occurred somewhere.

As Lauren’s gaze shifted, she saw a woman wearing prisoner’s clothing, carrying a magic circle, flying.

It was immediately clear who it was.

“Lucial… Your Highness…”

It seemed Lucial was heading toward one of the airships that had taken off earlier.

And she was shouting something repeatedly.

Though her voice couldn’t be heard, it was easy to guess what she was saying.

“You betrayed us!!”

When Lucial met him in the cell, she said she was waiting for something.

She must have known about the Empire’s attack on the capital and the coup.

And she was probably trying to ensure that the southern region wasn’t included in the attack.

But now, without a doubt, the attacking forces were heading to the southern region as well.

Originally, her abilities increased during a full moon.

But now, in broad daylight, she was being bombarded by dozens of magic formulas, falling into the burning capital.

“…Was this… Was this the plan all along?”

It was all too late when he understood everything.

Colluding with the Empire to attack three states within the kingdom.

Of course, such a violent act would not gain the support of all, not even among the nobles in the west.

That’s why they lured Lucius and the knights to the tower.

The defenses of the capital would temporarily be severely weakened, likely to be immediately taken over by the Empire.

At the same time, they intended to eliminate forces that didn’t support them.

Adelaide and Dion led a large force deep into the kingdom. As a result, the other states were caught in a pincer attack and would inevitably collapse sooner or later.

However, even if Dion, who had done all this, ascended the throne, there was no way he could maintain his authority as the king of betrayal.

That’s why they pinned the crime of regicide on Lucius.

History is spun by the victors.

Were they intending to make Lucius, the traitor, into a hero who killed the king?

Or were they going to cut off the hope of the people who would soon face difficult times?

Or perhaps, were they planning to tarnish Lucius, who had ties with the Empire, as the one who assassinated the king?

If so, Dion and Adelaide would reluctantly negotiate with the Empire and claim to be the ones who secured the status of the people in the west.

Even if Lucius were to survive and claim his innocence, no one would listen.

One of the Imperial soldiers noticed Lauren’s spell and approached, raising his sword.

As the sword swung down, the spell abruptly ceased.

“…This can’t be…”

Under the cold sky, Lucius relentlessly slammed his magic spear against the tower’s wall.

While the tower’s indestructible material could be damaged, it couldn’t be pierced.

“Dion… Dion! Dion!!”

His mind went blank.

He couldn’t protect his family, his subjects, his land, his king, his country, or the Kyrgyz people.

It was unreasonable to stay calm.

“I have to… I have to go. Quickly!”

Lucius ran.

How long would it take to reach the 5th layer exit?

It took 3 days for the 2nd layer, 7 days for the 3rd layer, and about 11 days for the 4th layer.

Even if he hurried, it would probably take 3 or 4 days.

That was an incredibly long time.

But there was nothing else he could do but move forward.

Lucius hurried, utilizing the armored soldiers as much as possible.

“Split up and search for the exit.”

The spells of the armored soldiers were lost.

Their spells relied on the Blood Wyvern, which incorporated their formulas.

If the evil dragon, the holder of the Blood Wyvern, was sealed, naturally, the spells couldn’t be used.

Still, there was no choice but to make the most of the armored soldiers.

If he didn’t escape quickly, Lucius himself would face either freezing or starvation.

On the first day, he fought wind monsters while being obstructed by glaciers.

On the second day, time was spent searching for magic circles.

On the third day, when he finally reached the sky, he encountered superior-level monsters. He managed to repel them but ran out of magic power.

And then, the fourth day.

Finally, he spotted a square building towering in the center of the great glacier.

It was a building with a magic circle for teleportation.

Sitting atop the square building was a giant spider made of ice.

He had heard about it from Melania.

It was Bael, the superior guardian.

The spider extended its long arms.

It was probably demanding lives as compensation.

“You’re in the way!”

Lucius manifested Chiyou and threw his spear, bone shadow.

The magic spear, launched in a straight line like an arrow, pierced Bael and multiplied inside.

It pierced through the surrounding buildings and the icy ground.

Ignoring the collapsing Bael with a single blow, Lucius entered the building and passed through the magic circle.

He headed to the top floor of the 4th layer.

Where he had parted ways.

What he saw there was…

“Oh… oh…”

The corpses of the Kyrgyz people.

“Melania… Mika…”

In the area permeated with the stench of death, there were the familiar siblings.

“Uwaaaah!!!”

Tears of hatred flowed from Lucius’s eyes.

The tears on his cheeks heated up with the heat of the magma.

Still, Lucius weakly stood up.

“Mom, Iris, Lauren, Kiel, Paul. I have to go.”

Lucius once again stepped into the magic circle and descended to the bottom of the tower.

All the houses of the Kyrgyz people were burned down, leaving only ashes.

Turning his gaze away, he passed through the tower gate.

Outside the tower, an unbelievable sight unfolded.

Countless crosses.

There were people with blue faces, still crucified.

They were all acquaintances from Silverheart Village and the dwarves.

Countless familiar men were hanging crucified, their breaths extinguished.

Furthermore, next to them were countless corpses of monsters.

Many of them were Sirens.

They were probably members of the Orleans family.

Casually tossed on top was the corpse of a Hippogriff.

It was a familiar formula.

It belonged to his father Robel.

“Ah… aaaaah… aaaaaaaaah!!!”

Despite the lack of contractors, there were corpses of formulas.

It was a massacre.

Soldiers appeared in response to Lucius’s scream.

“He’s here! Lucius, the king killer!”

The soldiers who raised their voices had something with them.

It was a spear with occasional glimmers on its uneven surface.

Imperial weapons.

Looking up, the national flag hoisted high in the royal castle was the Empire’s.

“Capture him and execute him as soon as possible. His title and territory have been stripped away. Behave yourselves.”

“Yo… your… majesty…?”

“It’s the command of His Majesty Dion.”

“Dion… Dion… Dion…”

Only four days had passed.

But everything Lucius had protected and cherished had been taken away.

All the blame was pinned on Lucius, and he allied with the Empire, eliminating every force.

No, he had sold them out.

In order to ascend the throne himself.

“Dioooon!!!”

Lucius’s scream echoed throughout the capital.

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