Chapter 570
The dazzling radiance slowly began to fade.
The ice melted away, and a pale chill spread through the surroundings.
Shaa—
Pure white feathers fluttered like snow, filling the air. One gently landed on Simon’s shoulder. Another brushed against his eyelashes before dropping limply to the ground.
Simon, staring at the feather on the floor, lifted his trembling gaze.
The dungeon master who had driven the Ivory Tower to ruin. As the ice of the ‘Frozen Clock’ melted, Serne’s body too lost strength and collapsed to the ground.
And then—
The light vanished.
“……”
Only silence remained.
The drifting feathers disappeared like spring snow. The binding magic circle restraining Simon’s arm dissolved, the mental passage reopened, and Feer’s voice faintly flickered back into his mind.
Thud.
Simon’s legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the floor.
“......No.”
His lips quivered.
“No! No! No!”
Like a man gone mad, he rushed to embrace Serne’s fallen shoulder.
The once-proud ivory hair had lost its luster. Her lips had turned blue, and her skin had withered, crumbling like a mummy.
Ssshh—
Serne’s hand caressed Simon’s cheek. From her bluish lips slipped a frail whisper.
“......Please.”
With a sorrowful smile as her last trace.
Her arm fell to the floor.
Simon bit his lips until they bled, letting out a voiceless scream.
‘You......!’
The one who seemed to care for nothing but herself.
‘Why you......!’
She had sacrificed everything.
That sacrifice included Maelyn’s life and Simon’s own. His bloodshot eyes, wet with tears, sharpened with resolve.
For her sake—this was not the time to crumble. Simon turned toward the Frozen Clock.
The ice had nearly melted, exposing two-thirds of its body. Yet the seal was not completely undone, as it remained unmoving.
[ I understand your feelings, but you must hurry! ]
The belated voice of the Ghost of Time echoed.
[ Someone is coming to the 100th floor! ]
‘!’
Simon quickly hid behind the Frozen Clock. The Ghost of Time waved his hand, conjuring magic that peeled off the air like a blanket and draped it over Simon.
Step— step—
Slow footsteps echoed across the 100th floor.
Scrape— shrrrk—
Something heavy was being dragged.
From beneath the concealment spell, Simon secretly peeked.
‘......Bermude Eindark.’
The Ivory Tower Master’s face was still splattered with fresh blood. In his hand, he dragged across the floor a bloodied man—none other than Girdon.
Bermude halted, gazing at the nearly unsealed Frozen Clock and at Serne’s lifeless body.
“......I told you to wait. You truly did not wish your final moment to be seen by anyone, did you.”
A heavy sigh slipped from his lips.
“Control fails you even at the end. Still, as you wished, at least Maelyn will be spared.”
Thud!
Bermude flung Girdon before the Frozen Clock and pulled out a communication crystal.
“This is Bermude. What of Keyzen’s students?”
Chzzzt!
—Th-this is the guard captain! We cornered Student Council President Simon Follentia on the 41st floor! He lost a leg, but still tries to escape...!
“How pathetic.”
Bermude scolded with irritation.
“All this over one mere student? Sever the other leg if you must—just keep him alive. Capture him within ten minutes.”
—Yes! And we’ve also located Merida Hugh Ikel! She’s fleeing on the 20th floor!
“Bring that wench back unharmed. With Keyzen gone, the last thing we need is to make Phantasus Hugh Ikel an enemy. She is the only leverage to move Phantasus.”
—Understood!
Chzzzt.
Bermude ended the call and took up another crystal.
“This is Bermude. Report the status of the ‘Transfer Magic’.”
—This is former director Hession! Preparations will be complete in ten minutes. The Tower of Time can be sent to Roke Island at any moment.
“The teleportation won’t falter against Keyzen’s coordinate-jamming barrier?”
—It’s ancient magic technology. Modern formulas cannot disrupt it. Probability is 0%.
“Good. Once my command comes—”
Cough! Cough!
Bermude turned his eyes. Girdon, leaning against the Frozen Clock, coughed blood. Bermude stared coldly down at him.
“Astonishingly stubborn. Still alive, are you?”
From the trembling man’s lips came a rasp like scraping iron.
[Cough! Cough! Keyzen......! Damn you, Keyzen......!]
“Lost your mind completely, haven’t you, Girdon? Still prattling that name.”
Bermude extended his hand, instantly unfurling a magic circle.
“Your infamy will remain etched in history. Did I not promise? That I would see your dream of Keyzen’s destruction fulfilled.”
[Keyzen......! Keyzen......!]
“Farewell.”
Fwoooosh!
A molten spear burst from the circle, impaling Girdon’s abdomen and piercing deep into the Frozen Clock.
From what seemed a mere machine, blue blood poured.
“To make it rampage at the moment of transfer, I’ll need to preheat it.”
Bermude’s eyes gleamed.
“Awaken, Dungeon Master.”
He prepared another barrage of magic circles.
Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock!
Two eyes snapped open on the Frozen Clock’s center.
They were void, lifeless orbs that sent chills crawling over the skin.
Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock!
The three hands of the clock spun madly. At last, the seal of the Dungeon Master was undone.
“Is that all it took? So frail after a mere scratch? Quite the exaggerator.”
Bermude muttered with mild surprise, canceling his spells, then raised the crystal.
“This is Bermude. As planned, the Frozen Clock is awakened. In three hours it will enter full rampage. Status reports.”
Chzzzt!
—This is the 10th-floor transfer magic restoration center! Preparations complete!
Chzzzt!
—This is the 20th floor! Merida Hugh Ikel has been captured!
Chzzzt!
—Th-this is the 41st floor! Simon Follentia......! H-he’s gone!
Bermude’s brow furrowed.
“Gone? Didn’t you corner him?”
—We did, but suddenly he vanished, leaving only his uniform behind! The only thing left was a motionless zombie!
“Idiots. Forget it. The plan is starting anyway. Just bring Merida Hugh Ikel out and—”
Bermude’s eyes flew wide.
‘What the—?’
Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock!
Tick-tocktick-tocktick-tocktick-tock!
The hands spun wildly.
He had estimated three hours before rampage, yet the reaction was beginning already after only light damage.
Bermude hastily sketched sealing formulas when—
Srrrhhh—
The Frozen Clock’s body began fading.
“This is our first proper meeting, Tower Master.”
Bermude’s pupils nearly burst.
The body of the Frozen Clock was being absorbed into a massive green greatsword. And from behind it, the blue-haired boy revealed himself.
“You......!”
“Sorry, but—”
The Frozen Clock was swallowed into Simon’s greatsword, vanishing completely. His eyes gleamed with golden light.
“This dungeon is mine now.”
Simon clenched his fist.
Cr-r-r-r-rash!
Suddenly, the dungeon walls surged in like crashing waves, engulfing Bermude before he could react.
“You bastard......! How...... dare!”
Even the hand he stretched out was swallowed by the Ivory Tower’s bricks. Simon yanked his fist violently to the side.
Boooom—!
Bermude’s body was forcibly expelled outside the Ivory Tower, and in the blink of an eye, the 100th floor returned to its original form.
Simon, gasping for breath, placed his hand once more on the hilt of the Greatsword of Destruction driven into the ground.
‘20th floor, wasn’t it.’
He squeezed his eyes shut and raised his focus.
* * *
“Let me go!”
Merida struggled violently, her arms bound in black magic handcuffs. The guard holding her sneered.
“Walk quietly if you don’t want to get hurt!”
Two guards dragged her forward. One of them looked back—
‘......Unbelievable.’
Nearly twenty guards of the Tower of Time lay sprawled across the floor, fast asleep.
Even if they were from Keyzen, he thought they were just kids. He never expected them to be this formidable.
“I said, let go!”
Merida suddenly slammed the back of her head into the guard’s nose.
“Guhhhk!”
He dropped, blood pouring down his face. Merida dashed away.
“You brat!”
Sssshhh!
From the guard’s staff, a rope of mana shot out and coiled around her legs. Merida fell hard to the ground.
“You little bitch, you’re really pushing me. Fine, let’s see who wins.”
His eyes bulged red, blood dripping from his nose, as he approached her.
“What will it take to tame you?”
He grabbed her hair, trying to yank her up.
Boooom!
Suddenly, a wall burst out like a pillar, slamming him away.
“?!”
Boom!
Boooom!
Walls surged up from above and below, hurling every standing guard across the chamber. They crashed into the far wall, knocked unconscious.
“Eh?”
Merida blinked in shock.
With the casters knocked out, her black magic cuffs and the mana rope dissolved.
Sssshhh—
The walls that had risen sank back into place. She didn’t know what had just happened, but it was a chance to escape.
Merida pulled herself together and ran.
* * *
Thud!
Simon collapsed to the floor.
Wielding the Dungeon Master’s power consumed enormous mental strength.
‘......Still, that should take care of the immediate crisis, right?’
The Ghost of Time approached.
[Well done.]
“Yeah... thanks for covering me so I wouldn’t get caught.”
But Simon’s expression soon hardened, his head lowering.
“But Serne...... huh?”
His eyes widened.
Serne’s corpse was gone.
It should have been right there. All that remained was Girdon’s lifeless body. Which meant—
“Looking for someone?”
A chill shot down Simon’s spine.
He turned his head stiffly, like a creaking wooden doll.
A girl with faded hair stood there, casually waving her hand. Simon recoiled, crawling backward on the floor in shock.
“What’s with that look? Like you’ve seen a ghost.”
She pouted. Simon’s trembling finger pointed at her.
“Y-y-you! How are you alive?!”
“Honestly.”
She shut her eyes and plucked a feather stuck in her clothes.
Her brittle skin smoothed back to life, and her faded gray hair regained its luster, flowing once more like an ivory field of wheat.
“I’m Serne. Did I look like the kind of woman who’d die so easily?”
Simon gawked. Even the Ghost of Time smiled knowingly, he had known all along.
‘How? To unseal the Absolute Seal, she should have had to give up her life...’
“The Absolute Seal. A 300-year-old, outdated spell by a mere mage, not a necromancer.”
She wagged her finger.
“Why bother using the same old Absolute Seal in this age? I reverse-engineered the formula with my own Darkness Ice Magic and unsealed it. With the Ghost of Time’s help, of course.”
[ Mm! That’s right! ]
The Ghost nodded eagerly.
“You reverse-engineered the Absolute Seal? Is that even possible?”
Serne stopped, folded her hands behind her back, and grinned.
“You think my skills can’t surpass antiquated magic from 300 years ago?”
“......Ha, ha.”
Simon laughed dryly and flopped onto his back.
No doubt, to save Maelyn, she had been studying this method ever since she discovered the Absolute Seal. She toyed with people to the very end.
“But I was touched.”
Serne pretended to wipe a tear.
“To think Simon would cry for me......”
“I wasn’t crying!!”
Simon shouted, face flushed red. Serne laughed out loud at his reaction.
“As I thought, you’re fun to tease.”
“......Why did you deceive me?”
“There’s a saying: deceive your allies first if you want to fool your enemies. I tricked Bermude while I was at it. But hey, it worked as motivation, didn’t it?”
Simon shook his head.
“You really are the strangest person I’ve ever met...... huh?”
Then Serne’s nose dripped thick, dark red blood. Simon rushed to her.
“W-what’s wrong?!”
“I never said it came without cost.”
She chuckled weakly.
Her body had no strength left.
“The risk of death from Darkness Backflow was fifty-fifty. What I told you earlier was true. I only said farewell in case I died.”
“......You.”
She swayed, leaning on him.
“Haha... this is the first time I’ve shown someone my weakness.”
“......Don’t say stupid things.”
Simon sat her down gently. She didn’t resist, resting against his touch.
“So, what now?”
“We stopped Bermude’s plan, but now he’ll try to kill us to silence us.”
Serne winked.
“Side by side, we’re now hunted by one of the strongest beings on the continent. He’s probably climbing from the 1st floor already.”
“......!”
“If you want to live, we need to run to where Neftis is.”
Simon felt suffocated by the sheer pressure.
Before, it was only because of a sneak attack. Next time, Bermude would come at full force, and they wouldn’t survive so easily.
After a pause, Simon spoke.
“Then let’s use the Ivory Tower Master’s own plan.”
“How so?”
“I have the Dungeon Master’s power now. The Frozen Clock’s threat is gone. We’ll activate the transfer magic and move the entire Tower of Time to the empty grounds of Roke Island.”
The situation had shifted.
Now, to survive, they themselves would move the tower to Roke Island.
Superb.
When are we getting more free chapters?
Thanks for the new chapters