Chapter 57 - Workshop Battle (3)

"The rules for our Death Game are pretty simple. You just have to survive until Jyu Viole Grace dies! Good luck, Regulars, and I hope you all die! Hahaha!" Gromm laughed out and turned towards Death Lady. "You keep those two safe and sound here, while I will go and make sure our plan succeeds."

"Don't worry, those two won't go anywhere. Just go and make sure Viole gets melted with the Thorn." Death Lady confidently stated as Gromm left the room.

Out of the 200 Regulars that FUG sent to the Archimedes, 196 were teleported to the first level of the Suspendship. The rest of the Regulars that weren't a part of FUG were also sent to that level.

Two of the Regulars that FUG sent were teleported to the third level, while the last two were teleported to the fourth level.

Horyang and Casano, the two Living Ignition Weapons, were together in a dark room on the third level of the Archimedes.

"Casano, what is the meaning of this? This was not the plan that we had prepared!" Horyang yelled at Casano. Viole was his friend, and he didn't want to lose him. He was under the impression that he would be helping him and not killing him.

"Some things have been set in stone for a long time now," Casano replied as blue Shinsoo covered his left arm. With a leap, he reached Horyang and punched him in the ċhėst. "Like our fight now, Ilmar."

"Why are you doing this, Casano?" Horyang asked him while standing up. He couldn't understand why would the person he believed to be his brother attacked him.

"Both of us are incomplete, Ilmar. The only way for us to become a complete Living Ignition Weapon is to get the other half of our Devil. It's either you or me, Ilmar." Casano stated and dashed towards him once again.

Meanwhile, on the fourth level of the Archimedes, Bam was standing in front of Reflejo. The two were in an enclosed space, with only a small opening at the top.

Reflejo was a man with long, brown dreadlocks, and he had an expressionless silver mask that covered his face. He wore a black cloak that concealed his body and held a scythe in his hand.

"You should be grateful," Reflejo told Bam. "For your sacrifice will be the starting point of my God's reckoning. Once my God obtains the Thorn, he will change the structure of this Tower!"

Bam didn't respond and got into his stance, prepared to fight with Reflejo. He knew that his friends from the 2nd Floor were on the ship, and he knew FUG planned on killing them after hearing the message. He wanted to go and help them, but first, he had to deal with the man in front of him.

Five Baangs of Shinsoo appeared around Bam, and he shot them towards Reflejo. He wanted to deal with him as fast as possible. However, the FUG member was no pushover. Five black-colored Baangs appeared around him and blocked Bam's attack.

"You are a disappointment, Viole." Reflejo calmly stated. "Even with all of your advantages, you are only strong when compared to other weak E-Rank Regulars."

Reflejo then dashed towards Bam. He swung his scythe at him, but Bam was able to block it with his signature Reverse-Flow control technique. Bam then tried counterattacking, but Refljo was easily able to block his attacks. They continued exchanging attack after attack, but none of them could get the upper hand on the other.

While fighting Reflejo, Bam was slowly adapting to his fighting style and learning it at the same time. Bam's unique power was Technique Replication. It didn't matter if it was a martial art or a Shinsoo technique, he was able to replicate them all as long as he was given enough time.

Bam found an opening and sent a Shinsoo empowered punch towards him. However, before the attack could reach Reflejo, a spear made of shadows came from the ground and pierced Bam through the stomach.

Bam quickly jumped away from him while bleeding from his abdomen. A red skeletal-looking object emerged from his back and slowly started healing his wound.

Reflejo watched this in indifference. Even if he healed himself with the Fake Thorn, it would make no difference in the outcome of this battle. In fact, Bam's usage of the Fake Thorn was part of the plan.

A part of the Real Thorn was sealed right under the room that they were fighting. And Bam's activation of the Fake Thorn would awaken the Real Thorn beneath them. So far, everything was going as planned.

Once Androssi and the rest heard that Bam is in danger. They immediately decided to rescue him.

"We have to save him!" Androssi stated to the group.

"I know that, but we don't even know where he is!" Leesoo replied back to her. None of them had ever been on the Archimedes before, so they didn't even know where they were sent to. They also had no clue where Bam was at the moment as well.

"I believe I could help you with that." Merrie confidently told them. Throughout the time she had spent with the group, she had become an amazing Light Bearer. Merrie was also a Guide, so she was confident in being able to locate Bam with her abilities.

"Then let's go. What are you waiting for?" Androssi urged her.

"Well, we will first have to deal with the Regulars that are coming for us," Merrie replied as she had sensed over 100 Regulars rushing towards them. She was currently observing them on her Lighthouse.

"How many are there?" Leesoo asked her.

"140 are making their way towards us," Merrie answered him.

"Pff, only that much? Let's just crush them and go save Bam." Androssi stated, and the group prepared to face the Regulars that were coming towards them.

Agnis and his group were also in a similar situation. They wanted to go and rescue their friend, but nearly 70 Regulars were making their way towards them. And unlike Lumen's group, their group wasn't made up of monsters that could annihilate E-Rank Regulars with just their basic attacks.

"Damn it!" Agnis cursed out. Using his High-Rank Lighthouse, he was able to see 56 Regulars rushing towards them. They had no way of dodging past them and had to fight them head-on.

"Everyone, get in position. Scouts and Fishermen get in the front line. Spear Bearers stay in the middle and protect the Light Bearers, while they ȧssist the front line with their Lighthouses!" Agnis shouted and started giving commands to his group.

Meanwhile, on the 30th Floor, there was another Suspendship floating in the air. However, the ship was invisible to the nȧkėd eye, and even a skilled Shinsoo reader would find it hard to detect. That was Ghost Ship, it had an ability called Invisible Area, which can make objects in its area of effect completely disappear.

The Ghost Ship was owned by Madoraco, a High Ranker, and owner of the Merchant Association. He was also a high ranking FUG member and had the sobriquet Grey Catfish. As the leader of the Merchant Association, he was one of the richest people in the entire Tower and had a great amount of influence.

Madoraco was a very short man, with pale pink hair that is combed back and has a pair of black horns protruding from his head. His skin was pale, his eyes were yellow, and he had large marks near his mouth that made him seem to have a smile at all times.

"As long as Karaka's plan is successful. He will have my full support, and I will give him my part of the Thorn." Madoraco said to Pekon. The main reason FUG wanted to melt Bam with the Thorn was due to his unique skill. They believed that if they are successful, the Thorn would obtain his unique skill, and the owner of the Thorn would then be able to use it as well.

"Do not worry," Poken replied. "With us being here, and the Elders preventing the Zahard and Workshop forces, there is nothing that could stop us. Viole will be merged with the Thorn, and with its power, my God will take over the Tower."

The FUG Elders had already given up on Bam. He had great potential with his unique skill, but compared to the other Irregulars, he was weak. They also didn't know if he would turn his back on them when he obtains the Real Thorn.

Giving it to Karaka was the safer choice since he had an irrefutable grudge with Zahard and the 10 Great Family heads. With the power of the Real Thorn, Karaka would be able to slay the immortal beings that ruled the Tower.

Bam's teacher, Ha Jinsung, was a powerhouse that could interfere with their plans, but even he would struggle against the combined power of the Elders. Should push come to shove, they would deal with him as well. They have already prepared themselves for that.

"And what about the Karaka impostor? He seems like someone strong." Madoraco questioned. FUG still didn't know the true identity of the masked man. They only speculated that he is an Irregular, as well.

"Unless he is hiding his power, the two Advanced Rankers that I sent should be enough to deal with him." Poken confidently stated. Earlier, he had sent Death Bird and Death Karambit, two of Karaka's loyal servants, to deal with Lumen. The two of them were Advanced Rankers and had incredible teamwork. With their combined power, they could push back even High Rankers.

"So, all the variables would be dealt with by the end of today. Excellent." Madoraco stated while observing the situation in the Archimedes and the battle that was happening on Sepia Island. Despite Poken's reassurance, he was a little worried about that fight, so he kept an eye on the situation down there.

However, the two weren't the only ones enjoying the show. In fact, there was one more Suspendship that was on the 30th Floor. Like the Ghost Ship, it also had a similar ability like the Invisible Area, but it was an even higher rank than it.

"The son of Arlene, my daughter's lover, and a lot of little insects. I wonder how this will play out." Gustang said. Not only did he know of Bam's true identity, but he also knew Lumen that had survived after the incident on the 10th Floor.

Gustang was the one that gifted Diana's Suspendship, and he was able to monitor her through it. He was also able to tap into her Pocket and see her conversations. Which is why he knew of her relationship with Lumen and that he had survived.

"Let's see if my daughter made the right choice." Gustang calmly stated while observing the fight on Sepia Island. Lumen was someone he was very interested in, especially after seeing his growth.

Gustang knew that he had special abilities and that he didn't even know how to manipulate Shinsoo before Diana taught him. But now, after about seven to eight years, Lumen was fighting equally with two Advanced Rankers.

The most impressive thing was that Lumen didn't even know his Shinsoo quality and was relaying on using his special abilities, which he combined with his Shinsoo. Gustang was fairly interested in what his Shinsoo quality is. Nonetheless, he was sure that with enough time, he could become someone on the same level as Urek Mazino. Only someone like that could catch his eye.

When the dark-blue fire had engulfed the villa, Lumen had covered himself with his metal armor. The fire couldn't actually hurt him, but it was better to be safe than sorry. He calmly walked out of the burning building and spotted two figures levitating in the air.

One of them was a grey-skinned man with purple hair and white eyes. Dark-blue flames were being emitted from his body, and he held two blades made of the same flames. He was Death Karambit, Karaka's loyal servant.

Next to him was a woman who had the body of a bird and a human head. She wore a helmet with a beak that also covered her shoulders. She was Death Bird and another of Karaka's loyal servants.

"We've been sent here as your tribulation, heathen who dared impersonate our God." Death Karambit said in disgust while pointing his flaming blade at Lumen.

"A painful death is the only outcome for someone like you." Death Lady stated, and Death Karambit slashed with his blade. A massive wave of dark-blue fire was sent towards Lumen, who casually walked through it without a single injury. His black flames were hotter and more destructive than the dark-blue fire of Death Karambit.

"Using flames against me isn't the smartest choice." Lumen told them while two pairs of flaming wings appeared on his back. A spear made of darkness with a large lizard head at the top formed in his hands, and he flew towards the two floating figures with incredible speed.