Chapter 59

Chapter 59

✠

The days within the tower slipped away in a blur and the tutorial period whisked by with astonishing speed. By the tenth autumn that I’d spent here as a transmigrator, I had already managed to clear the 297th floor of the Skyscraper of Suffering. Only the final three floors remained.

Six years had passed since the system introduced the Skyscraper of Suffering. I spent so much time within the tower that it was safe to say that it was like a second home to me. Through relentless training, I had reached the pinnacle of power, standing among the top ten most formidable beings on the continent, even without the aid of Divine Advent.

I mastered Agnes’ whip sword, as well as the maneuvers to complement the sword techniques. Mom also passed down a unique aura technique to me. She said it was a special method of communication passed down to each generation of the Heathfenrir family, but honestly, it just seemed like a new torture method to me. By the time I completed my alchemy work and returned to my room, I could see the radiant full moon high up in the night sky through my window.

I washed up and stood in front of the mirror to dry my hair. I could see the reflection of a young woman who had just come of age staring back at me. I observed the long, flowing pink hair draped over my shoulders and daintily shaped features, as well as glistening emerald eyes reflected within the mirror.

Mm, I look beautiful. Satisfied, I blinked and looked over my face from different angles.

⟬The Voice that Shapes the World also looks at you adoringly and marvels at how much you’ve grown.⟭

⟬The Critic for Balance remarks that she only looks average among transmigrators.⟭

⟬The Executive of Creative Economy sighs regretfully about how they’re no longer able to sell cosmetic alteration vouchers because of upward equalization policies.⟭

Looking at my grown-up self made me realize how much time had already passed.

“There are only six months left now.”

Only half a year remained before the original story’s timeline would commence.

⟬The Advocate of Confidentiality grumbles about all the havoc she’ll wreak on the world as soon as the tutorial ends, completely deviating from the original story.⟭

⟬The Voice that Shapes the World screeches at the purist to get lost.⟭

I polished my sword while Lord Voice went off on Lord Confidentiality. I gingerly held the ivory-hued blade adorned with subtle touches of gold and light blue. This beautiful blade’s name was Serpens, a whip sword that I obtained after defeating the 276th floor’s boss monster, Imperium.

I immersed myself in the dragon lord’s lair for three days and three nights, meticulously conducting research in search of the perfect blade. Serpens undoubtedly stood at the pinnacle of whip swords, unmatched by any other in existence.

“Hehe.”

I was struggling to keep a straight face as I polished Serpens’ gorgeous hilt when my cross pendant vibrated as Agnes asked, «You said you’ll be able to leave Gilette Castle in about half a year or so, right?»

“Correct.”

«What’s the first thing you’re going to do, once you get out of here?»

“I’m going to go find that pushove— I mean Tesilid.”

«Ooh, you want to see him that badly? Is he your true love?»

“No, that’s not it.”

He’s fated to get murdered by one of this world’s most powerful evils, so I need to go heal him.

⟬The Scale that Judges Souls likes your plan to go see this universe’s most handsome man.⟭

⟬The Eye Overseeing All Chaos whines that you have Bianca...⟭

Yeah. No. All of you stop that.

“I should turn in for tonight. Especially since I’ll be climbing the tower again tomorrow.”

I turned out the lights and crawled under my covers.

⟬The Architect of the Skyscraper of Suffering casually suggests that you take it easy now.⟭

Maybe I have been grinding away too much. I’ve never seen Lord Architect try to discourage me from physical training.

I need to hurry up and get through the 300th floor and make preparations to leave Gilette Castle.

After firmly resolving myself to this plan, I closed my eyes. It was already well past midnight and it didn’t take long for me to doze off. It’s probably still a few hours before dawn in the holy kingdom. I nodded off, wondering about a certain individual and all of the hardships he was undoubtedly going through.

I bid him a good night’s sleep as my consciousness finally slipped away.

✠

He stood there in the rift, all alone in the pouring rain. He had been clinging to his sword, driven into the muddy and desolate ground, using it as support to stay on his feet. However, his wavering silhouette finally crumpled to the ground.

The heavens wept, shedding their cold tears upon his collapsed form, their icy touch seeping into his robes and sending a shiver coursing through his very core. He was surrounded by mounds and mounds of corpses. The toll of casualties well surpassed expectations for a B-class dungeon.

Nestled within the heart of the rift was a summoning circle. Its intricate markings beckoned forth an enigmatic presence from unknown depths. This too was not something commonly seen within B-class dungeons.

Yet all he was told when he had been sent here alone on the Vatican’s orders was that this was a B-class dungeon. And as a result...

Tesilid struggled to move his arms as he shielded his eyes. The low, eerie voice of a demon whispered ominously into his ears.

“Behold, the lifeless husks of the wretched unbelievers. This was wrought by you. They are but a testament to your handiwork.”

“...”

“The Vatican will be pleased. You decimated the heathens and stopped them from expanding a demon lord’s dominion. Is this not something to proud of? Something to be praised for?”

“...”

“How does it feel to be a hero? You, who is cherished by The Strict Order and Goodness.”

Teslid spat out to the demon, “Shut it.”

The stigma engraved within his arm began to burn up. The word “modesty” written in god’s divine handwriting faded away into “pride.” His divine power steadily decreased in accordance with the seven deadly sins.

Tesilid lifted his eyes and cast a frigid, piercing gaze into the void.

“I will kill you, Karpeios.”

The demon grinned, its lips stretching into a wicked, malevolent smile. Master of the Abysall Dunes, ranked second within the demon realm, the Demon Lord Karpeios softy whispered, “I’ll be waiting, silver-haired livestock.”

Lord Architect, I want an apology.

I could see nothing but a vast expanse of misty ocean stretched before me. The small raft that I was riding on drifted through the calm, windless currents. I focused my senses on my surroundings. Blurred vision. Sloshing waves. A briny stench. Standing amidst the noxious, foul-smelling mist, it felt as if I was inhaling the exhalations of another being.

It’s coming. The still surface of the sea began to rapidly roll. The tides began to surge and the waters began to churn violently. This turbulence wasn’t caused by any storm. Not too long after fighting a barrage of saltwater to stay atop the raft, I felt the currents subside and lifted my head. A colossal shadow loomed before me.

The ruler of this foggy sea looked down at me with her empty, hollow eyes. The owner of the enormous shadow was the upper body of a beautiful, giant woman. Huge fins extended from where her ears should’ve been and scales lined her skin. She cradled a colossal harp in her embrace, reminiscent of the mythical siren.

You would assume from her features that the lower half of her body would be that of a mermaid, but her lower body wriggled about, ferociously slapping the water’s surface. The creature’s lower half was long and sinuous, her snake-like body wound endlessly around my raft.

Her name was [Accursed Wounded Ciel]. She was the Skyscraper of Suffering’s 298th boss monster. The sea began to churn once more as she flailed her tail about.

«Ailette.»

“Don’t worry, Agnes.”

I grabbed ahold of the mast and weathered the currents. I was fortunate to have this [Flip-Resistant Dinghy] provided on this floor.

Of course, while the boat itself was unflippable, maintaining balance on it was solely up to me. I’d been working on my balance for the past two months in preparation for this. The creature’s writhing body rushed at me as soon as the waves subsided. Her sinuous trunk was thicker than the combined arm spans of three grown men. I guess she intended to crush me to death.

“...”

Knowing I couldn’t afford to lose the raft, I took the initiative and leaped off of it toward the boss. I skillfully weaved through her relentless onslaught of constricting coils and slamming strikes. Using her body as a stepping stone, I steadily advanced toward her main body.

A different part of her trunk came at me, but I parried the blow with Serpens. Thick pieces of her scales broke off as my blade grazed her.

Keeek!

«She’s in pain.»

Wounded Ciel attempted to slam into me once more to put some distance between us, but I swiftly doubled back to avoid her swipe. I had avoided the blow, but this proved to be a fatal mistake.

Crrr-crrrack!

“Oh, shoot.”

The [Flip-Resistant Dinghy] broke into pieces.

«Again?»

“We have to carry on.”

«What are you going to do?»

“I have a plan. Just watch.”

I landed lightly on one of the pieces of floating debris. During that time, the boss had put a considerable amount of distance between us and lifted up her harp.

“Ahhhh!” The opera singer of the deep sea began her performance. She was a demonic creature that used magic. She was a sono-mancer, as she employed sounds into her powers. I immediately responded to her sorcery.

“Blessing of Protection.”

⟬«System» Advanced Skill [Blessing of Protection Lv.18] (+10) activated.⟭

My support skills were relatively low leveled, but combined with the aura within my body, it was more than enough to protect my hearing. Wounded Ciel had no intention of targeting my eardrums to begin with anyway.

⟬«System» Warning. [Tsunami of Destruction] inbound.⟭

An immense wall of water surged forth, rising to unimaginable heights, as if it sought to engulf the very heavens.

“C’mon, sis. You’re using this again?”

I glanced at my surroundings. The only things floating around me were remnants of the raft, scattered debris adrift in the water. The absence of solid footing was quite disadvantageous for terrestrial beings. The ability to levitate was exclusive to magicians.

Even as I began to sweat profusely, I grumbled, “Aw, man. If only I could use Divine Advent.”

«You better take a deep breath first.»

“You’re right,” I said and sucked in a massive gulp of air just in time.

Then the wave came crashing down with a deafening crash and enveloped everything around me. The calamity called forth by the serpentine siren swallowed me, the boat, and everything else in sight with an unstoppable force. What little remained of the raft was shattered beyond recognition.

As the waves washed over us, I caught a glimpse of Wounded Ciel smirking as if celebrating her victory. But she was in for a big surprise once the tsunami subsided...

Whoosh...

The roaring waves settled, and the sea surface reverted back to its tranquil state once more. I leisurely “walked” across the floor.

Wounded Ciel’s face contorted with disbelief and horror. And it was right so, for a silvery castle wall lay at my feet. It was one of my ultimate skills, [Siege Barrier].

«I never even imagined that you could use a barrier like this.»

The Siege Barrier stood tall and imposing, boasting its splendor in the middle of the sea. This was all thanks to my high skill level.

I blew a few kisses to the dazed Wounded Ciel as I welcomed her over to my wall.

“C’mon over, big sister. Welcome to my castle.”

Wounded Ciel’s beautiful face soon contorted with rage. She was this dungeon’s master.

I suppose it was only natural that raising a castle without her permission in her domain would anger her.

“Ahhhh...!”

“I guess I don’t have to provoke her anymore.”

Her shriek echoed through the depths of the sea as she surged toward me. She charged at me from the front while her Tsunamis of Destruction tumbled from the remaining three sides, their immense energy propelling them with an awe-inspiring momentum.

I imbued Serpens with my aura. Wounded Ciel was originally a sacred spirit. I needed to deal with her using my aura alone because she was resistant to divine power. My Siege Barrier shielded me from the waves crashing down on me from the remaining three sides. I purposefully left one side open for Wounded Ciel to come through.

“I said, come on in!” I stood on the edge of the castle wall as I waited to meet Wounded Ciel’s charge.

Crash!

I parried the earth-shattering impact and brandished my blade. Wounded Ciel began to swipe at my body in a frenzy amidst the spewing saltwater. Yet her vicious claws could not reach me.

After trading a lengthy sequence of blows, her claws and the blade of my sword caught onto each other, as we locked into a standstill. We were in a deadlock when she expanded her jaw and revealed her razor-sharp fangs.

“Ahhhhh...!”

Sound waves blasted over my body, the vibrations powerful enough to rip any normal person to pieces. But things didn’t exactly go as she’d planned.

“Ew, gross. You’re spitting all over me.”