Chapter 139

The Devil of the 50th Floor (2)

There was a dimension called the Magic kingdom. There were many rumors about its origin, but everyone agreed that it was one of the first worlds to take shape in the entire material realm. The magical kinds living there were known to be the first beings to recognize and respond to Mana’s existence, and at the same time, they were the first to communicate with the god of magic to establish the system of spells.

‘Don’t the legends state that the seven magic masteries and most of the single unit spells that the Awakened beings learn through cards were designed by the magical species? They were faster than the dragons to establish the system.’

Like the dragon kinds, it was possible since they could use Mana from the very beginning. Hence, they didn’t need to be Awakened through the system. No one really knew when their history began. Some argued that the magic civilization came before the ancient Sebrarian Empire, while others refuted such claims, saying that couldn’t be the case.

‘In fact, based on my previous life’s knowledge, both theories had loopholes to refute.’

Both were paradoxes that bit the tails of each other.

‘If the magic civilization is older than Sebrarian, it doesn’t explain why no one has witnessed the process of the great empire’s collapse. If the empire had a longer history, it directly opposes the tale that the first people who used Mana and magic were the devils.’

Those twisted hypotheses were easily sorted out if one knew the truth that the Sebrarian Empire was not an ancient civilization but rather a civilization that existed in the far future. Also, considering that I already knew the successor’s secrets by that time, it was highly likely that the magic civilization was the oldest in the material world. Not to mention…

‘The first successor, the being named ‘Mtuba Ray,’ My farthest past’s reincarnation must have been a devil as well.’

It was the first life ‘I’ gained after my soul was sent to the past by the imperial government. According to the spirit, the destiny it was given to carry out was to prove and spread the existence of Mana for the first time.

‘Then, in chronological order, after the gods were exiled, the material world was created. The first civilization blossomed in the magic kingdom… Then the heir challenged its destiny there for the first. The system came after that. And after some time went by, it became my turn to succeed in fulfilling my destiny by living in this era. Should all of my reincarnations succeed, in the distant future, the Sebrarian Empire will be founded in a more powerful form.’

That was only if my reincarnations actually did succeed, of course. In any case, the magical species had developed civilization before the system was established. They had never been selected for the tutorial quest, nor did they proceed with the main quest. They enjoyed their independent form of life without being a part of the system. Adam told me that the species that proceeded to the main quest was hostile to the magic species regardless of belonging in the Union or in the anti-Union. Their species was the kind that had to be treated that way.

‘A race born to fight, kill, and torture. They endlessly fight each other, and if they don’t get satisfied with that, they will whatever it takes to invade other dimensions. When they get sick of war, it is their hobby to lure another species into a fraudulent contract and eventually steal their souls.’

There was a reason why the magical beings were called the devils. Their civilization revolved solely around brutal slaughter and bloodshed, betrayal and conspiracy, domination, and exploitation. Eventually, they were considered as the common enemy for other dimensions. Yet, their existence remained up to that day. Since their species was extremely ancient, almost primordial, their power was so great that they were not inferior to any of the species supported by the system. In the end, their secret behind being able to make enemies everywhere yet remain at the top was simply their undefeatable power. And in front of us, there was such a demon waiting.

-K-hahaha! Is it only four this time?

The devil drooled. His entire body was covered by his golden armor, and the exposed area was covered with dark red flames instead of a creature’s outer skin. It looked like a flame had been lit inside an empty armor.

‘W-wait a minute!’

The devil’s sword urgently exclaimed in my head while I was assuming a combat stance.

‘Listen to me! I have a favor to ask of you!’

It was the first time it spoke in such an urgent manner, aside from when I was harassing it. I asked unenthusiastically.

“What is it?” ‘He’s a demon named Kirke. He’s the head knight that is manipulated by the ‘King of Gold’ among the devil kings who have power over the magic kingdom. I didn’t expect him to be captured by the system and working as a boss here!’

I had already assumed that the magic kingdom might be experiencing the dimensional interference effect as well. Whatever the reason could be, it’s a world away from the main quest.

“So?” ‘If possible… No, it’s definitely possible for you guys right now. Instead of destroying that devil’s armor and making a mess, as clean as possible… can you Clear it by consuming all the Mana that powers it?’

Up to that point, it was the same story that Randy heard in his previous life. At that time as well, the boss was the devil in that golden armor, and the devil’s sword was startled to see him and asked a favor from Randy. And the following words were Randy’s reply to the devil’s sword at the time:

‘Don’t make a fool of yourself, you sly devil!’

It was a natural response. Even while climbing the tower, Randy was suffering from a telepathic attack that was attempted by the devil’s sword at any given moment. That meant that if it were to ask for a favor suddenly, there was simply no way he would listen to it. But instead of refusing right away, I looked at the boss’s state for a while.

– K-haha. What’s wrong? Are you scared already? Faster, come closer.

The devil sitting on the golden throne was telepathically provoking and taunting us without getting up from his seat.

“We’re gonna be okay, right?”

Nate asked me, his anxiety as evident on his voice as on his face. I reassured him.

“Do you see a faint layer between the boss and us?” “Yes.” “We have to take the initiative to cross that line to make the shield disappear that blocks the boss. Only then will that the battle truly begin. In this state, we can’t attack him, but he can’t attack us either. That’s why he’s taunting us.” “Ahhhh.”

It was in consideration for the climbers who came up exhausted from the 49th floor. Essentially, the shield’s main responsibility was to prevent them from being decapitated by the devil who would have been waiting for them as soon as they crossed the door. I double-checked that there was no problem in taking our time, and then I looked at the devil’s sword.

“Why should we do that? What’s so special about that devil?” ‘It’s…’

He explained the situation. One of the demon kings, ‘The King of Gold,’ seemed to have an editorial tendency to manufacture all of his servants himself.

‘Instead of capturing and turning the mighty devils into subordinates, he created a powerful magical armor with a magical kingdom mineral named Blood Metal Stone. Can you see that? His armor has a strangely lingering red light around it.’ “That’s true. So? Just because he made an armor doesn’t mean it’s going to come alive on its own.” ‘Exactly. He then captured a moderately mentally strong devil and produced his servant by extracting the soul of that being and transplanting it into the armor. The same is true of Kirke. That golden armor is a powerful doll that can hold the spirits of the devils!’

It seemed that the devils, who became subordinated to stronger devils, whether that was by their own will or of others, had no choice but to follow the orders given to them faithfully. The King of Gold had the power to separate its soul from the armor right away in case of insubordination, after all. Most of the servants’ original bodies were already disposed of, so being ripped out of that armor meant certain death.

‘It would be distinguishable if it’s you. Inside that armor made of Blood Metal Stone is a mechanical organ that replaces the Mana Core of living things.’ “Yeah, I’m looking at it.” ‘When the Mana in it is depleted, the link between the soul and the armor is weakened. If it’s me, I could take advantage of the gap and kick that soul out of his armor!’

It seemed to be a specialty of the cognitive body. But I didn’t miss the parts that it didn’t dare speak of.

“Well, what about the empty armor that the soul escaped from?” ‘I can control it remotely at will! It will be like a body of my own!’

I clicked my tongue inside. That was an offer that even Randy of the past life had no choice but to refuse coldly the moment he heard it. It would give the devil’s sword a body that it could control freely!

‘Wait, listen until the end! It’s a proposal that will never be a loss for you!’

The devil’s sword continuously caused bloodshed by controlling a living host’s mind because it had such a wicked mental state, but conclusively, it’s because it had lost its real body that it couldn’t freely move. Therefore, it always had a longing for a body it could call its own. When my reaction turned a bit sour, the devil’s sword quickly poured out telepathy as if it became overanxious.

‘I’m bound by a contract with you anyway! Without your permission, I can’t move by myself, and I can’t hurt anyone! I can’t fool you. At least until you die, that will hold true!’

It was such a decisive difference from my past life.

‘If you give me the ability to control that armor freely in this state, it”ll be like giving me a new body. I, who remember all the swords of the previous owners, will have a new physique! I will be a tremendous addition to your battle force!’

It seemed impatient to have something similar to a body somehow.

‘Even so, swinging my original body, the sword, won’t cause any problem for you! What will happen is I’ll just be remotely controlling the armor where the soul has escaped. It’s not that my soul will be transferred there! You wouldn’t lose anything even if I became extremely immersed in manipulating the doll.’

In any case, it seemed that the devil’s sword, which was usually only swung by me, didn’t have to use large amounts of energy to amplify my Mana. Therefore, it suggested giving it the ability to control the doll with the remaining space of mind that it had.

“Hmm.”

I knew that it wasn’t lying. If it did, it would have suffered fatal damage to its soul. It wouldn’t be able to have a proper conversation like what we were having because it would be more damaged due to its state as a cognitive body. However, it was necessary to leave no loose ends before making a decision.

“Are there any hidden subject about that armor that you’re deliberately not mentioning and explaining to me?” ‘None!’ “What if you sneak off with the armor later and act contrary to my will or to hurt people…” ‘You know it’s impossible because of the contract we have in the first place!’ “All contracts shall be maintained when controlling the armor, and my orders shall be absolutely…” ‘Yes! I’ll follow your orders! I’m telling you that I’ll follow you without fail!’ “Even if you start controlling it remotely, you must stop the very moment I give you the instructions.” ‘Yes, it’s entirely up to you!’

Then it added a few words to conclude its statements.

‘I just… want to have a body that I can use to move as I wish!’

I thought about it for a while. I asked another question for the last time.

“Aside from the case that I, who is the contractor, command, how do I get the armor back from you?”

It was a question that I had to ask if ever a situation came where I lost consciousness or encountered an unexpected event.

‘… That’s cruel. If you don’t trust me that much, I’ll teach you the destruction magic needed to cut my ties with it. It’s the kind that can’t be used to kick out Kirke’s soul possessing that armor right now. However, it can sever the remote control connection that I will perform with it later on.’

Only after reviewing up to that point did I nod. Anyway, it was like having another workforce with the devil’s sword forced to follow my orders.

“First, I’ll try to get it the way you said it. And, if there are any strange signs from you, later on, I’ll stop right away.” ‘Good! Good! As you wish! Aha! Hahahaha!’

A joyous mental wave poured out and rattled my mind. I explained the contents of the conversation I had with the devil’s sword to the party. Nate just asked back, ‘Really?’ as if he didn’t give much thought. Hibiki and Euclid glanced at the devil’s sword as if they were suspicious, but-

“I’ll make sure nothing happens as soon as I’m in doubt of it.”

After that conclusion, we crossed the transparent wall separating us and the Boss Monster, then assumed our battle stance.

– Hahahaha! Foolish things!

The knight of the golden armor, Kirke, held a sword twice as big as his height. A red flame sparked through the gap between his armor.

Woooooooo!

As he exhaled his breath, the scent of sulfur and heat fluttered everywhere. The air we breathed felt heavy in our lungs. Come to think of it; even if Randy had accepted that proposal in his previous life, he could not have captured that devil alive. It took several times as much battle power as we had back then to subdue such a tough opponent without killing it. But in my current life…

‘The chances of doing that is high enough!’

Its telepathy, smothered with its lust for war and death, entered our minds.

– Cry, mortal. Suffer. Scream for my entertainment… huh?!

Before he could finish his sentence, I had already unraveled my [Stardust Wings] and started to charge into the sky. If we waited for them to finish and listened to all that crap every time we met a boss, I doubted we would be able to Clear the Tower within the year.

– W-wait…!

[Arta’s Sword Dance!]

Rumbleeeee!

As if to smite down the enemy using a hammer from the sky, I rained down a storm of sword energy into the armor from directly above it. Bolts of purple lightning descended in no time, all aimed at the prey below me!

– K-aaaaaargh!

As if to demonstrate that what the devil’s sword said was right about it being an extremely powerful armor, it prevented the attack by creating a protective blue shield over its gold plating that was covered by red energy.

‘Be gentle! You’ll break the armor!’

The devil’s sword shouted in a way that told me it was becoming overreactive, but I knew how strong that shield’s integrity was. I watched my colleagues fight it right next to them in my previous life.

‘Even though I’m a lot stronger now, I still think the shield is pretty hard.’

[Blizzard Storm (Rank: SSS)]!

The ice storm summoned by Hibiki raged forth, covering the entire brilliant armor of the King of Gold’s subordinate in gelid and sharp shards. The Core mounted in the armor, and the Mana contained in it was visibly being shaved off little by little. And-

“Come on, let’s hit it from behind!” – Remotely striking the enemy specified by the subject for protection.

Pa-pa-pat!

Instead of summoning a dragon and releasing its Breath, Nate remotely summoned the [Guard Program]’s multi-caliber cannon. He commanded it to release the cannonballs, causing the item to fire it all against the devil. Both Hibiki and Nate were avoiding flame-based attacks, considering that it was the main property of our current opponent. It was as I ordered in advance.

‘Alright, this is enough!’

Capturing the armor without breaking it did not seem difficult at all.