166 - The Tower of Causality (6)

166 - The Tower of Causality (6)

TL/Editor: raei

Status: ongoing

Illustrations: none

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The Trial of the Third Floor

According to the chronicles, the third floor's trial claimed the most lives.

Hidden ruins, difficult to find and invisible to the eye.

In contrast, participants stood right before them.

Which would be the better source of Life Jades?

If one abandoned human morality, the latter was far quicker and more convenient. Many fell prey to this temptation.

'Some even moved with the sole intention of targeting other participants from the start.'

Among these groups, the one that slaughtered the most people was the 'Murder Legion'.

Whether by chance or the tower's design, while others were scattered, the Murder Legion was summoned to the third floor's trial as a single unit. This gave them a tremendous advantage and strength from the beginning.

The Murder Legion used this power and advantage solely to kill others, ultimately slaughtering a quarter of the participants.

And just moments ago...

That was exactly where Zion had chosen to be summoned, using his privilege to specify his starting position.

The reason was simple.

'I need to fulfill the second condition for accessing the secret trial.'

While the first condition was to achieve a score of 55 points by the second floor's trial, the second condition was to be the first participant to gather 100 Life Jades.

Even this wasn't easy, but the second condition came with an additional constraint.

If one were to take Life Jades by killing participants, those participants must have previously killed or attacked others.

That's why the position next to the Murder Legion was the best place to quickly gather Life Jades while meeting this constraint.

Of course, it required the ability to handle such overwhelming force.

'These guys wouldn't have any advantages in staying alive for the upcoming trials anyway.'

With that thought, Zion faced the Murder Legion members staring at him and gave them a slight smile.

Did they take that smile as a provocation?

Or were they trying to avenge their fallen comrade?

"Kill him!"

With that rage-filled cry, several members began charging at Zion.

As the enemies approached, Zion watched them calmly. An alien darkness began to rise from his entire body, and then, whoosh!

He vanished from that spot.

"Where did he...!"

As the charging members looked around, having lost sight of Zion for a moment, thwack!

The head of the member at the front exploded, shattering into pieces.

Brain matter splattered in all directions as Zion's form appeared like a phantom in the midst of it.

The number of Life Jades displayed above Zion changed to 2.

Were they truly the top-tier criminal organization with unmatched combat prowess?

"You bastard!"

In that brief moment, another member reacted, swinging his sword towards Zion.

Keeeng!

Bright red mana engulfed the entire blade.

Just as this strike, which fully demonstrated the member's high level, was about to reach Zion's neck, thunk!

Zion's hand rose from below, lightly touching the flat of the incoming blade.

That light contact twisted the blade's trajectory, causing it to shoot upwards.

Without hesitation, Zion dove into the opening created by this and threw the opposite fist he had already pulled back.

"...!"

The member, trying to avoid Zion's fist, dropped his sword and rolled on the ground.

But at that moment...

As if he had predicted this from the start, Zion's extended fist suddenly changed direction.

"What the...!"

Crack!

It shattered the skull of the member whose eyes were filled with astonishment.

"I'll burst your heart first!"

In the meantime, a spearman who had newly appeared from behind thrust his spear towards Zion's exposed back.

Having witnessed his two comrades fall so easily, the spearman's attack was at full power from the start.

But the spearman's weapon never reached Zion.

Without even turning around, Zion extended a finger behind him.

That single finger blocked the spear.

Boom!

A shockwave erupted from where the spear tip and fingertip met, slightly delayed.

"...How?!"

A cry of disbelief burst from the spearman's mouth.

To accurately pinpoint and block the tip of a spear swung at a speed surpassing even sound, and without even looking?

It was a monstrous sense that went beyond astonishment, enough to make one's skin crawl.

Zion knew who this man was.

Dran Sidorea, the Yin-Yang Blade Demon.

One of the 'Twelve Seas' and the leader of the Murder Legion.

He had finally made his move.

"Who the hell are you?" Dran asked, gritting his teeth as he pushed more force into his swords, staring at Zion with burning eyes.

"The one who's going to kill you," Zion replied, a smile forming at the corner of his mouth.

Just then, crack!

Spiderweb-like cracks began to form on one of Dran's swords where it met the Giant Destroyer.

On the outskirts of the third floor of the Eternal Tower.

Two figures were swiftly making their way through a densely forested area filled with trees and grass.

A woman with silver hair and a giant with shaggy hair and beard.

It was the hero's party, minus Rain Dranir.

"Don't we need to find Rain?" Turzan asked, moving closer to the woman's side.

"We do need to find her, but right now there's something more urgent," the woman replied, increasing her speed.

The woman was heading towards the place where the Murder Legion had been summoned.

There was only one reason for this.

It was to stop them before they began their full-scale slaughter.

She knew.

To pass the final trial, they needed to keep as many people alive as possible on this third floor.

The transcendents who created the Eternal Tower wanted the participants to split up and kill each other in this trial, but at the same time, they hoped for someone special to defy their intentions and unite the participants.

In her previous life, the woman hadn't grasped this intention, and as a result, she had nearly died several times during the final trial.

'To avoid repeating that, I need to stop the Murder Legion first.'

Although she hadn't received the privilege for not coming in first place, she knew where the Murder Legion had been summoned.

Thanks to immediately making contact with Turzan, she had sufficient strength, so the woman was heading towards where the Murder Legion was without hesitation.

'We can postpone the search for Life Jades until later.'

After all, she knew perfectly well where the ruins were located, and even most of the hidden conditions for this trial.

Therefore, she was confident she could rank high in this trial even if she started late.

'Even so, I won't be able to open the path to the secret trial without meeting the other conditions...'

The woman shook her head, shaking off these thoughts as she briefly considered this.

There was no point in dwelling on something she couldn't obtain; it would only leave her with regrets.

But still, she couldn't completely shake off her curiosity about who had taken first place on the first and second floors, surpassing her.

Just then,

"Is that the place?" Turzan asked, pointing to a spot far ahead.

It was exactly where the woman had intended to go.

The reason Turzan could point to that location without the woman telling him was simple.

Boom!

An enormous explosion was erupting from that very spot.

'Has the slaughter already begun?'

But as the woman drew closer, she realized.

That the explosion wasn't from a slaughter, but from a battle.

"Someone... is fighting the Murder Legion?"

The woman's eyes filled with questions.

As far as she knew, there were no individuals or groups among the participants summoned near the Murder Legion who had the strength to face them.

'Who could it be? One person? Or a group?'

With these thoughts, the woman approached even faster.

How much closer had they gotten?

Suddenly, the woman's form stopped in its tracks.

"This is...!"

She muttered in surprise, her eyes trembling as she looked at the battlefield.

"Why did you stop so suddenly?"

Turzan, who had stopped beside her, asked, but the woman's gaze remained fixed ahead, as if she hadn't heard him.

Boom!

Along with the explosion, an alien darkness flowed from the battlefield.

The moment she saw that darkness, she knew.

Although it was incomparably weaker and more vague than before, so much so that even she, with her unparalleled sense for energy, could barely feel it.

The power emanating from that darkness.

"Why is it here..."

It was undoubtedly the power of the 'Heaven Destroyer' she had seen in the City of Light, Lezero.

---

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