C918
"Hmm?"
Raon tilted his head as soon as he ascended to the next floor.
'Is this a town?'
Before his eyes stretched an immense coastal city filled with the scent of the sea. There were many people on the beach, and the city itself was overflowing with refreshing vitality.
But there was a problem. The city's time seemed to have stopped, the people were frozen like statues, the waves didn't move as they crashed against the sandy beach, and even the clouds in the sky were still.
'What kind of trick is this? Huh?'
Raon's eyes widened as he walked through the city. As he looked around, he began to see buildings and people that seemed strangely familiar.
'This is Montiro!'
He had felt it strange that it seemed familiar to him from the beginning, and that feeling was correct.
The city before his eyes was Montiro, where he had lived for almost two months.
"M-Montiro?"
"Damn it! Why is Montiro here?"
"Ah..."
Burren, Martha, and Runaan also gaped at the sudden appearance of Montiro.
-I'm Montiro. I lived in that inn over there.
Trevin pointed to the inn on the right, letting out a sigh.
"It may not be the real Montiro, but it looks like an exact copy of Montiro's exterior."
Jayna, who had seen Montiro on a map, nodded and said it was exactly like the real one.
"Why did time stop…?"
Mark Goetun extended his hand towards a seagull perched on an empty chair. As if he was in another timeline, his fingers passed through the seagull without touching it.
"What a pain! Why do these confusing riddles keep appearing?"
Martha gritted her teeth, visibly disgusted.
"Obviously, their purpose is to make us waste time."
Burren bit his lip, looking frustrated.
"W-What kind of magic are they preparing?"
Dorian swallowed with difficulty as he looked upwards.
"Let's go inside for now."
Raon let out a short sigh and entered Montiro. As he walked through the frozen city, observing his surroundings, he found himself near the fountain.
"Wait."
He stopped the swordsmen walking towards the fountain and looked at the bead shop on the right.
"What's wrong?"
"Did you find something?"
Burren and Martha turned their gazes, urging him to speak.
"That person..."
Raon raised his finger, pointing at the man inside the bead shop.
"I've seen him before."
"You've seen him?"
-Yes, today, in fact.
He realized because he had been constantly observing his surroundings while taking care of Rensia. That man was buying ice cream when the "Lantern That Awakens Darkness" operation was halfway through.
"Then maybe..."
Raon ran from the bead shop to the fountain. As expected, Rensia was frozen, alone in front of the fountain.
"Rensia..."
Seeing Rensia with her eyes closed as if enduring pain, it truly seemed to be the moment after the operation's execution.
"That family next to the fountain are people I saw there today too!"
Martha's jaw trembled as she pointed to the people she had seen there today.
"The boy I saved..."
Runaan nodded and said that he had protected a boy who was playing at the fountain.
"It seems..."
Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at the frozen sky.
"It seems to be the situation right before the demonized humans attacked, right after we executed the 'Lantern That Awakens Darkness' operation."
This frozen world seemed to be the moment when the demonized humans, having detected an anomaly in the barrier, were heading towards the location where the Five-Pointed Star Formation artifact was planted. However, although all the people here were present, they themselves didn't exist.
"Wait here for a moment."
Raon let out a murky sigh and kicked the ground. He moved towards the upper left, the closest point from there, towards the statue of the five heroes that Dorian and Kerin had been guarding. Although Dorian and Kerin weren't in sight, he could feel the artifact beneath the statue and the presence of the shadow mage Foreshon approaching.
Swoosh! Raon cut Foreshon's neck with his Heavenly Drive, but the man didn't die. The sword simply passed through him as if he was in another dimension.
-It seems they're trying to waste time like this since it's difficult to physically stop you.
Wrath shook his head and said that it seemed this would take a long time.
'Maybe not.'
Raon licked his lips and moved towards the opposite side, the upper right.
'Morel Kazan is here.'
Unlike Dorian and Krein, Morel Kazan and his subordinates, who had gone with Karoon, were present here.
«This gives us the answer.»
Raon looked at the frozen Morel Kazan with calm eyes.
-Do you have the answer yet? Have you solved the riddle?
'Yes.'
He nodded and returned to the fountain.
"Did you discover something?"
Burren approached and bowed his head.
"As I said at the beginning..."
Raon extended his hand to touch the frozen water of the fountain and licked his lips.
"This is about 30 minutes after we activated 'The Lantern That Awakens Darkness'. It's the time when the demonized humans were moving to destroy the artifacts."
"Ah, then..."
Jayna's eyes widened with understanding.
"That's right. We need to recreate that exact situation."
Raon nodded as he sent Runaan and Martha to the front of the fountain.
"The same applies to everyone else. Go back to where you were originally."
He extended his hand and gestured for them to go in the direction they were during the operation.
"But Morel Kazan isn't here."
Trevin shook his head and asked what to do with Morel.
"He's already here. We just need to take our positions."
This was the solution he could offer after confirming Morel Kazan's presence here. If the Light Wind Palace swordsmen returned to their original positions, this world would start moving again.
"Run with all your might."
Raon gestured to the Light Wind Palace swordsmen, yelling for them to move as fast as possible.
"W-What about us...?"
Jayna and the mages rolled their eyes, not knowing what to do.
"Since you were at headquarters at the time, please wait here."
After telling them to stay behind, Raon sat down next to Rensia. Crack! After a few minutes, black cracks appeared in the air, and the frozen world began to flow again. It seemed that the enigma of this floor was solved when all the Light Wind Palace swordsmen took their positions.
-So that was really the answer.
Wrath clapped, seemingly impressed.
"It worked..."
Runaan clenched his fist tightly.
"Anyway, our Palace Master's head is working well!"
Marta raised her finger, praising him for doing well.
-I tell you, I don't know about you, but that's one of the best heads I've ever seen.
Wrath nodded in agreement.
"It's not over yet."
Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked around. The enigma was solved, but they hadn't killed the Floor Master of this floor yet. They would have to kill him to ascend.
'Where is he?'
Just as he was about to expand his aura perception to find the Floor Master, an exit leading to the upper floor suddenly emerged from beneath the fountain.
"An exit?"
"Don't we need to catch the Floor Master?"
Runaan and Martha approached with fascination, but suddenly felt repelled and couldn't get close to the fountain. It was as if they were in another dimension, as if time had stopped.
"What is this?"
Raon approached Runaan and Martha, but he couldn't grab them. On the other hand, he could touch Jayna who was next to him without any interference.
"How did he do this…?"
As Raon frowned, Calob and Félix, who had died below, suddenly appeared and attacked Runaan and Martha.
"Why are these dead guys appearing?"
"It's the same..."
Martha and Runaan frowned as they blocked Calob and Félix's attacks. They seemed to possess the same strength as when they were fighting below.
-It's not just here.
Wrath shook his head as he looked right and left.
-The others who went to other places are also being attacked by the same guys.
He lowered his chin and said that the demonized humans were attacking just like they did during the operation.
'We need to find the Floor Master...'
Raon extended his aura perception, but he couldn't sense the Floor Master's presence. It seemed he was hiding somewhere invisible.
"Go!"
As Raon further expanded his aura perception to find the Floor Master, Runaan raised her voice.
"We'll take care of this."
She nodded and told him to leave that place and go up first.
"It's the first time you've spoken well today!"
Martha smiled as she pushed Félix's spear away.
"There's no time to waste! Go first! We'll twist the neck of the mole hiding here!"
She also raised her finger, telling him to go up to the next floor like Runaan did.
"..."
Unlike the fighting outside, this was now happening inside the Black Tower. The anxiety about what the Floor Master might do there made it difficult for him to leave.
"Palace Master, please go!"
"Isn't that why you put us through that hellish training?"
"Please trust us!"
The Light Wind Palace swordsmen, who seemed to have noticed his feelings, thumped their chests and told him to trust them. Kuwaaaaaa! As if sharing the same feeling, magnificent sword auras rose towards the sky from the direction of the artifacts.
"Alright. Then..."
Raon looked at the Light Wind Palace swordsmen with eyes full of trust.
"Don't be slow to follow me."
After leaving those words, urging them to follow him no matter what, he ascended to the next floor.
"Are we really going?"
Jayna swallowed hard as she followed him.
"The Floor Master of the upper levels, strengthened by demonic energy, could kill them all!"
She kept looking back, as if she felt uncomfortable being separated from the others.
"That's what the enemy wants. For me to stay behind and waste time."
It was clear that the Floor Master of this place had given him a choice and opened an exit for him, as it would consume too much demonic energy to keep even a Transcendent like him trapped.
"I know, but the people left behind..."
"He doesn't know, just like you don't. The faith and will of the swordsmen I've raised."
He let out a slight smile without looking back.
"They will never betray my trust. And neither will I."
Raon climbed the stairs with firm steps for the sake of his subordinates who trusted him.
* * *
Chamber narrowed her eyes as she looked at the shining black tower.
«They must be doing well, right?»
Both Raon and Karoon had surpassed the initial stages of Transcendence. Even in the tower filled with intense demonic energy, they should be able to reach the upper floor without much difficulty.
«Of course, it will take some time.»
The Black Tower was filled with people who resorted to dirty tricks even more than brute force. Even for Transcendants, this would inevitably take a long time.
Leaving Karoon aside, to think that Raon would grow so much.
She first saw Raon at the Six Kings' conference. At first, she thought he was just a pretty-faced kid, but now he had reached Transcendence and was leading the operation to destroy the Black Tower. Honestly, she still couldn't believe it.
"What's even more impressive is..."
Not now, but in the future. Raon was growing even at this very moment. Even she, who was above most Transcendants, couldn't calculate how strong Raon would become.
"If he survives this, he really might be able to face Thespian Emperor or the leader of the Martial Society."
Chamber drew a slight smile as she imagined Raon after the war.
-But surviving, huh...?
As she thought about the future, the Black Tower Master came to mind, and she suddenly felt uneasy.
"I can't understand what he's thinking."
Although she was suppressing it, the demonic energy of this dimension was being absorbed by the upper floor of the Black Tower like a broken dam. As the demonic energy concentrated, her chest felt tight, as if she had indigestion.
"Ugh..."
Chamber bit her lip as she cut a large amount of demonic energy into another dimension.
"Please, reach him as soon as possible."
* * *
After separating from the Light Wind Palace swordsmen, Raon passed through five more floors. He fought against winged Upper Floor Masters in a sky without support and waged silent wars against assassins in the darkness, where he couldn't see an inch in front of him.
Despite being a Transcendent, fighting on enemy territory should have been difficult, but thanks to his enhanced aura, he was able to take down the Upper Floor Masters without much trouble and ascend quickly.
"I knew Transcendants were strong, but to be so overwhelming..."
Jayna shook her head in disbelief at his martial prowess, which had taken down the Upper Floor Masters one after another.
"It's not just that power."
Raon lowered his hand calmly. As he ascended the floors, his aura also amplified. He had become stronger than the demonized humans, allowing him to finish them off and ascend without wasting time.
'Actually, what I've learned so far is more important than taking down the demonized humans.'
To ascend to the next floor, one must kill the Floor Master of that floor or receive their permission. Even on floors that seemed empty, the Floor Master was hiding somewhere observing, so he had to find them.
Although the situation was disadvantageous in many ways, thanks to his power amplified by demonic energy and the information he had gradually accumulated, he had been able to ascend without much trouble so far.
"This should be over soon..."
According to his calculations, it seemed that only a few floors remained to reach the top. Hoping to reach the end soon, he climbed the last flight of stairs, but he found a narrow space, like a fighting arena, unlike the previous floors.
'What is this place?'
There was another entrance to the left of where he had climbed, and on the opposite wall was an exit leading upwards. However, it was tightly sealed and couldn't be opened.
'The Floor Master...'
Still can't be felt. The Floor Master of this floor seemed to be hiding his presence using the characteristics of the Black Tower, as he couldn't feel any trace of them anywhere. Based on his experience so far, the Floor Master of this place would probably appear the moment he could kill him.
"Mmm."
Raon frowned and turned his Heavenly Drive towards the exit. Clang! Despite unleashing all his power amplified by demonic energy, not even a scratch appeared on the door. He tried hitting the wall just in case, but it was the same. Unlike the maze, it seemed to be made of condensed demonic energy that couldn't be destroyed.
"Then what am I supposed to do…?"
As Raon frowned with his arms crossed, he heard footsteps coming from the side of the entrance he had entered.
'No way...'
As he turned towards the familiar footsteps, Karoon emerged from the entrance on the left. Like a true Transcendent, without a single wrinkle on his neck, he nodded towards Raon.
"Light Wind Palace Master?"
Karoon raised his eyebrows, seemingly surprised to find him there too.
"As expected of the demonized humans..."
Raon let out a deep sigh as he looked at the tightly sealed exit and the arena-like space.
"What a nasty personality!"
-
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