162. Tower of Trials, 54th Floor (4)
Honestly, he did feel a little sorry.
From their perspective, how absurd must this all seem?
He had suddenly appeared out of nowhere and dined and dashed.
Then, saying he needed to investigate something, he beat down everyone who came at him because he wanted to see the Holy King....
'But there’s no helping it.'
Out of every route in Battle of Summoners, this was the fastest way to meet the Holy King, and also the only way to be acknowledged.
Because in the end, the Holy King likes strong people.
* * *
He always felt this, but...
The Yellow Dragon Breath was no joke.
It was so overpowered it almost felt excessive.
Still, that made sense.
It carried the brutal penalty of consuming everything and leaving only 1 HP and 1 MP.
Kwagagagagagagaga!
Along with a thunderous roar that split the sky, a golden radiance slammed into the city floor and devoured everything.
The ground of that vast plaza did not merely overturn. It was annihilated.
Goooooooo....!
As a result, the very foundation itself completely collapsed.
"W-What...?!"
"Huk!"
Even the spectators watching were horrified.
This power was on an entirely different level from before.
"...So from now on, he’s not even going to bother holding back?"
"I’ve never seen such majesty before. What kind of living creature is that?"
"It’s more terrifying than the demons I saw on the battlefield."
"What about the Paladins?"
The spectators worried about the Royal Guardians who had been swallowed by the golden Breath.
But then.
Above the deep crater.
Thud!
A roughly charred hand appeared.
"Hoo, hoo."
The man who had endured the destructive power of the Ascension Breath drew ragged breaths as he climbed back up to the surface.
His eyes still held an unyielding will.
And it was not only the Commander.
Each and every one of the Royal Guardians was covered in injuries from head to toe, but for now, they were alive.
As expected of the very symbol of damage-tanking!
"Only this much...."
The Commander muttered.
"Did you really think an attack like this could bring us down?"
Wow.
Baek Jinwoo nodded inwardly.
Yeah.
This was the level a real Paladin should have!
Honestly, he would have been disappointed if they had gone down to that Breath.
These guys were a hidden card that would play an important role for them later in the war against Asmodeus. If they were weak, they would be useless.
"Then shall we start fighting for real now?"
And with that, the grand melee began.
—Kkyahahahahaha!
Whiiish, whiiish, whiiish!
From the rear, Lamba, who had no combat ability whatsoever, swung her staff around!
Kwaaaang!
After leaping high, Jaggeo landed on the ground and roared, Gwoooaaaar!, while Dampir riding on top of him absorbed the Royal Guardians’ damage.
And then.
—Keureuk....
Swaeaeaeaeaeaeak!
Gale Slayer’s scythe work was exquisite.
Invisible Gale Slayer moved in and out like a ghost, appearing and disappearing everywhere.
He spun his scythe around like a top, and the Paladins could not help but panic.
"Aaagh!"
"Where in the world is it coming from?!"
"I can’t see him!"
It was already hard enough enduring the constant damage landing through splash damage, but then Aso and HunGyo darted around here and there, pressing the enemy hard.
Sometimes they spun several times in midair.
Other times, they struck the shield itself dozens of times in a single second, even breaking wrists.
—Keuheoeoeong!
White Tiger also roared with bloodshot eyes and went berserk.
It was utter chaos!
The Archmage did not stay idle either.
When Rachel made a gesture, he raised his staff high and rapidly chanted a spell.
Great Wizard, 7 Circles - Aether Chain.
Kwaddeudeuk!
Several chains of aether that rose from the ground rushed forward to bind the Royal Guardians.
But.
Tiiing!
The Commander easily brushed those chains away.
"Damn it."
Rachel gritted her teeth.
'Of all things, total magic immunity.'
That Paladin Commander was the perfect counter to the Archmage.
The battle dragged on for quite a while.
Other beings aside, the Commander was definitely a burden.
Even with Lamba’s stacks.
Even with the runes strengthened to the Top-grade.
It seemed there was no choice inside a space where Tower of Trials had been amplified tenfold.
'Well.'
'That’s probably why they made it so multiple players could enter.'
So people would clear it as a raid.
—My lord.
It was then that HunGyo, while fighting, approached nearby.
"Hm?"
—Look over there.
When Baek Jinwoo looked where HunGyo pointed, atop that tall building...
A woman in pure white armor stood there, her spear longer than Baek Jinwoo himself casting down over the scene.
'Ah.'
Baek Jinwoo clenched his fist tightly.
'Champion!'
Had they finally all appeared?
The 100 Royal Guardians, the Paladin Commander, and now the Champion.
The full force of what could be called the entirety of the Holy Kingdom had been mobilized.
And then.
Swoosh.
A fat man slowly appeared from far away.
"Huh?"
Baek Jinwoo was startled.
And the faces of the spectators who recognized him began to fill with shock.
"Y-Your Holiness?"
"Guhk!"
"We greet His Majesty, the Holy King!"
Some dropped to their knees and bowed their heads.
Others clasped both hands together and took up a posture of prayer.
The one called the proxy of God, the Holy King, Arkelion.
A being who could not help but receive the infinite respect of the people of this nation.
"Hm?"
Rachel was similarly flustered.
What?
They had not even properly fought those guys yet.
And that coward Arkelion was coming out this quickly?
The fact that his face had appeared meant the 54th floor was over.
—My lord.... The stacks have been reset.
Hearing that made it certain.
HunGyo, Aso, and Gale Slayer had all become noticeably slower.
'This is ridiculous.'
The 54th floor had clearly been cleared, yet nothing changed.
It only took away the stacks, with no clear message and no reward.
More importantly...
‘Why had that coward come out so quickly all of a sudden?’
The eyes of Baek Jinwoo and Rachel met, both filled with confusion.
Thinking about it now, this was how it was for both Baek Jinwoo and Rachel.
Back on the 54th floor of Battle of Summoners, they had certainly been strong, but they were not in their complete prime.
In Baek Jinwoo’s case, he had been around six years in, roughly speaking.
So even if he caused chaos, he had never done it on this level.
'What we are now is just absurd.'
Holding out alone against the Paladins, the Royal Guardians, and the Commander?
Without the EX-grade ones, it would have been absolutely impossible.
'That must be why.'
Why the Holy King had come out so quickly.
He, too, must be feeling deep in his bones just how absurdly unreasonable they were right now.
* * *
"Everyone, stop!"
At the Holy King’s command, the Paladins all lowered their swords at once.
The Commander, Arno Billian, stepped back.
And the Royal Guardians formed a defensive line centered around the Holy King.
Their condition was miserable.
Some could not properly support their own bodies and limped on shaky legs, while others bled from the nose.
"......Hah."
The Holy King let out a short sigh as he looked at them.
Those who had ended up like this trying to protect him.
He had already heard the reports.
"...I heard you wanted to see me?"
The Holy King stared at Baek Jinwoo.
With an expression as if he were barely suppressing his anger.
“That is correct.”
The battle had entered a brief lull, and Baek Jinwoo stepped forward.
From here on, this was a route even he had never experienced before.
It had to be built through communication with the Holy King.
Originally, the 55th, 56th, and 57th floors were about reclaiming occupied cities.
After killing the demons and monsters there and purifying the cities once more with the Holy King’s power?
That led directly to the 58th floor.
The entrance leading to the Demon Realm would open.
Entering that place and reaching the battlefield was the 58th floor.
The great war was the 59th floor.
And the final bloody battle against Asmodeus was the 60th floor.
“I understand that Your Holiness is currently in need of strength. To reclaim Termora, Runestia, and Arseon. Those three cities, correct?”
“.....How do you know that?!”
The Holy King was astonished.
How could this human possibly know the divine revelation bestowed by God!
“I only wished to lend that strength. But to do that? We had to show just how strong we are. What do you think? Against the Holy Kingdom, wouldn’t this level of power be of considerable help?”
“You insolent…..!”
As the Paladin Commander placed a hand on the hilt of his sword and took a step forward—
Swoosh.
The Holy King raised a hand and stopped him.
“That is true. It pains me to admit it, but what he says is correct.”
Letting out a deep sigh, he continued.
“We are in no position to be selective right now. We cannot overcome this crisis with pride alone. If they possess this much power, there is no reason to reject them.”
Arkelion looked at Baek Jinwoo again.
“In that case, would you help us reclaim those three cities?”
“Hmm.”
Baek Jinwoo stroked his chin.
Of course, he should accept.
That was the only way to clear the Tower and figure out a path to return to Earth.
But.
‘This feels unfair, though?’
It honestly annoyed him a little.
51st floor, 52nd floor, 53rd floor, 54th floor.
He had climbed four whole floors, and yet there had been no reward at all!
Part of him thought maybe they would throw him something huge later after defeating Asmodeus.
But that was not guaranteed!
Baek Jinwoo was human too.
Survival mattered, yes, but he wanted rewards too.
Then a thought came to him.
‘Back then.’
When he had solved the secret beneath the Holy Kingdom and given all the soldiers a buff called “God’s Blessing”, the moved Holy King had said: I wish to give you a gift. Choose one of the two.
And then he had presented one bluish “stone” and one “scroll”.
Baek Jinwoo had chosen the stone.
It had been called the Soul Guardian Stone.
[Soul Guardian Stone]
[Grade: S]
[When consumed by a summon, permanently increases health by 10,000.]
It had been perfect for a tanker.
He had no idea what the other scroll had been.
And.
To begin with, the Holy King seemed like the sort who was indecisive but also fairly generous.
“Um.”
Might as well go for it.
“I have one request.”
Baek Jinwoo took his hand off his chin and spoke.
“What is it?”
The Holy King asked.
“No matter how I think about it, helping for absolutely nothing in return doesn’t seem right. Is there anything we can get?”
“W-What?”
The Holy King was flustered.
In all his long years of life, he had never heard such brazen words before.
“You ask to be given something?”
“Yes, something like a Soul Guardian Stone.”
“A-A Soul Guardian Stone!”
Gurgle.
Foam dribbled from the Holy King’s mouth.
That hyena-like bastard!
Did he even know what that was?
It was a sacred relic among sacred relics, said to have been touched by the hand of God, passed down since the first Holy King.
There were only two in all of Lumentia...!
‘But.’
The situation was what it was.
The ones before him had a record of overwhelming even the Paladin Commander, the kingdom’s second-strongest military force.
Not only would they certainly be helpful, they were people who even knew the contents of the divine revelation.
‘The Holy King himself said it.’
Holy relics were not meant to be hoarded.
What mattered most was the safety of the people.
“...Would one be enough?”
The slightly worn-down Holy King muttered.
Baek Jinwoo immediately caught that too.
‘Would one be enough?’
That meant there were more, didn’t it?
“There are two people here, so one would be a little.... Don’t you have one more? More would be even better.”
“....!”
Y-You...!
That bandit-like bastard!
“You know the one who attacked with the golden light earlier? She’s the one who uses it. If you don’t give one, she’ll definitely feel disappointed.”
“Two.”
“Huh?”
“There are only two, you bastard!”
“Y-Your Holiness!”
The Paladin Commander rose and glanced at the Holy King nervously.
It was more than enough for him to show that pathetic side only inside the fortress!
Only the Paladin Commander and the Champion knew the Holy King’s true nature.
He was cowardly, indecisive, and on top of that, he did not even manage himself properly, so he was fat!
“Let us head inside first, Your Holiness!”
The Commander opened his palm and pointed toward the fortress.
“I do not think we need to discuss the details here.”
Mm.
The corners of Baek Jinwoo’s mouth lifted slightly.
That guy, really.
He was not much different from how he had been in the game.
A textbook weak-willed man.
He looked like exactly the kind of person who would be easy to take advantage of.
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