Chapter 123. < Utopia. (2) >
===================
Translator: thursdays Editor: Yahiko PR: LightBrin
-……
The Constellation was silent. [The Evangelist of Everlasting Happiness], whose entire body was covered in blood, quietly bit her lips. Her eyes were shaking, not with the ripples of the surface but with the s.h.i.+fting of deep ocean currents. The Constellation remained silent for a long time.
“…Death King.”
Following suit, the apostles had also stopped moving. The battlefield that had been raging nonstop from the beginning halted for a few moments. During this time, the Crusader approached me.
“You say you’ll execute the wicked and the sinners. What do you mean by that?”
From behind her, our other colleagues were also directing their gazes at me. Speculating. Dumbstruck. Or shocked. Eyes filled with different emotions stared at me.
“I’m being serious.”
I accepted their gazes calmly.
“I know that you all have purged people while managing the Tower. This practice must continue in the dark even now.”
“……”
“I can’t tell you that your methods so far have been wrong or that you have to fix them. I don’t have the confidence nor skills to run the Tower better than you do. However, if you absolutely need to kill someone in the future, just bring them to me.”
“Oh?”
The Heretic Questioner tilted his head. He tilted his head once to the left and once to the right. After the two bobs, he smiled brightly with understanding.
“I see! No, why didn’t we think of this until now? It’s a really good idea, Death King!”
The Black Dragon Master wrinkled her brows.
“What are you talking about?”
“Think about it. Death King’s skill doesn’t just summon someone. It can give them their memories from life! Therefore, we can use Death King as a [moving prison]!”
The sound of the Heretic Questioner’s distinctive laughter echoed throughout the silent plain.
“No need for food! No resources consumed! Say that Death King reaps a serial killer. If Death King orders him to [never commit murder again], the killer is forever prohibited from killing!”
“……”
The Black Dragon Master’s eyes slowly grew bigger. As did those of the Count and the Crusader. Despite their shock, they quickly calculated the advantages outlined by the Heretic Questioner.
“Using Death King’s skills as a prison will…”
“Yes! Ahaha. The criminals will be fairly terrified. And isn’t the cadence of it just beautiful? Death King. As a king who literally jails and rules over those who must die, there’s no better epithet for him!”
“As the owner of Sangryun, I want to offer you my opinion.”
The Count pulled out her fan and tapped on her lower lip.
“It’s not bad. As you may know, the Tower has a significantly higher crime rate than the outside world. Our prisons are chronically overcrowded, and the cost of maintenance is high.”
“That’s right. As the master of the Ten Thousand Temple, I also agree!”
The Heretic Questioner grinned. An impromptu meeting of the greatest guilds’ leaders was being held.
“The purpose of a prison is to [contain criminals] and [prevent further offenses]. However, no matter how excellent a corrections program is, it’s hard to stop all recidivism. A human mind is as complex as it is beautiful. But the four kings can completely prevent recidivism!”
“……”
The Crusader hesitated.
“I… don’t know. I admit that it’s efficient. But I’m still doubtful. Isn’t it too much of a burden for a single person to carry?”
“Death King already lodges two thousand people from the martial arts world, the Righteous Sect, and the Demonict Sect! He probably has people we don’t know of inside, too! If he already has two thousand people, any number above that means nothing.”
“…No. I’ll withhold my judgment.”
Meanwhile, the Black Dragon Master was staring at my face. Several emotions were swirling in her black eyes.
“Will you really be all right?”
I felt that she felt sorry. The Black Dragon Master was feeling some sense of responsibility. The responsibility for bringing me into their world.
“It’s all right,” I said with conviction.
I was grateful. She was taking responsibility even though I jumped into this world of my own volition. The Black Dragon Master was a kind and honorable person. Someday, I would hear her real name.
I turned my head to look up at the Constellation.
“What will you do?”
-……
“If you want to keep fighting us, I won’t stop you. But the outcome is decided. I’ll absorb this utopia you’re so proud of.”
The Constellation, which had been silent for a long time, opened her mouth.
-…I am not only a fragment of [The Guardian G.o.ddess] but also [The Evangelist of Everlasting Happiness] with a million apostles. If you take me, all of my apostles will follow. I must ask, is there any guarantee that you will not use my apostles as your personal army and use them for wickedness?
“I won’t use them,” I bluntly a.s.serted.
“Even when you invaded Raviel’s world, I summoned only the members of the Demonic Sect. As I killed the Righteous Sect, I could have summoned them too, but I did not. It would be against their morals. Those people can never obey the orders of the Demonic Sect’s young master.”
-……
“Whether it be one million or ten million, I’ll let your apostles live happily in this world as they have been doing until now.”
The Constellation slowly lowered her head.
When overpowered by force and logic, a person finally speaks the words bound in their heart.
The Constellation shaped like a child quietly murmured.
-Ahh, Master Lefanta Aegim…
The Constellation’s body began to dissipate.
-To meet you once again…
Blood fell from the sky. The blood hit the ground, pooled together, and eventually coagulated to the form of a sword. The sword had no mouth, so the Constellation could not finish her last words.
[The Sacrifice Sword awaits for you to dispose of her and speaks.]
However, the Tower pa.s.sed on what the sword wanted to say.
[My name is Sacrifice.]
[You can translate someone’s agony to another’s happiness.]
[The n.o.bler and purer the sufferer is, the greater the resulting happiness.]
I walked toward the sword planted in the ground.
Then, I raised my Holy Sword and struck the blood-stained sword.
[The Guardian G.o.ddess absorbs a piece of herself.]
The sword split apart.
[The existence of the Guardian G.o.ddess has become more p.r.o.nounced.]
Simultaneously, the apostles surrounding us melted down. A million children who had been covering the whole horizon crumbled apart. The children’s eyes were smiling even as they were destroyed.
Shaaa—
As the apostles collapsed, red water flowed and the horizon quickly turned bright red.
[Stage cleared.]
[Today, the 28th floor Stage has been cleared.]
A shallow sea of blood.
The Black Dragon Master looked down vacantly at the blood that rose up to her calves.
“…Really, all you need to clear a stage is information. You can easily break something if you know its weaknesses. I was preparing to run when we fell right in the middle of the enemy. But this quickly…”
“Huh? What? What just happened?”
The Venomous Snake, who had been dealing with the apostles beside my skeletons, was baffled. He was the only one among us who did not listen to what I was saying and solely did what he had to.
“Why are these guys suddenly turning into red paint? Huh?”
The Crusader sighed.
“It’s nice to see that you never change, Venomous Snake…”
“…What’s this now? You… Did you fall in love with me?”
“Ahaha. That’d be fun, but sadly, no. The vice leader of the Civil Militia has been dating someone for a long time!”
The Venomous Snake’s single eye widened.
“What? Really? Who?”
“It’s hard to say. You should find out for yourself!”
No one informed the Venomous Snake of anything else. Looking at the atmosphere, it seemed everyone else knew and that it was an open secret. I was curious and wanted to open the character window, but I stopped myself because it would be too great a violation of privacy.
“Hey, hey. You finished in magnificent time!”
The Count came up to me and patted me on my back.
“I was resigned to pouring money down the bottomless pit for at least a day! As expected of Death King. Do you remember who the first person to notice you was when you were just a rookie?”
The Count was pleased that we had safely gotten out of the ambush. I didn’t want to rain on her parade, but I didn’t intend to rest like this. From the beginning, this stage was just a stepping stone.
“I apologize, Count. We’re not done yet.”
“Hmm? What do you mean? There was an announcement that the 28th floor was cleared.”
“Yes. We’re done with the 28th floor.”
I nodded.
“But I plan to break all the way through to the 30th floor today.”
With those words, the Black Dragon Master, who was looking blankly at the sea of blood, the Venomous Snake, who had been doggedly asking the Crusader about who she was dating, and the Heretic Questioner, who appeared to have been thinking about the future, all turned to me in unison.
“Today? Within the day?”
The Black Dragon Master was surprised. Her tone wasn’t doubting whether that was possible. The Black Dragon Master no longer doubted my ability. Rather, she was worried about my condition.
“Death King, no, Kim Gongja. You’ve been working too hard recently. You haven’t taken a day off after you entered [The Tale of Sormwyn Academy]!”
‘Ah.’
That would seem to be the case from the Black Dragon Master’s perspective.
Raviel and I mucked about and played around as much as we wanted on our honeymoon, but that was an inside joke between Raviel and me. From other people’s perspectives, I’ve actually been das.h.i.+ng nonstop.
“Even if it’s for a short while, take a break. Humans are animals that can be worn down by stress. If you don’t plan out your working hours and rest time, you’ll end up collapsing. I’m serious. You may not know it since you’re still young, but…”
I smiled.
It was actually lovely how she worried sincerely for others.
“You’re right. I have been overdoing it a bit.”
“Right? So, take a break from clearing stages for a while…”
“That’s why I’ll finish everything today and take a break.”
The Black Dragon Master rubbed her forehead.
“You’re not listening at all! Get some rest! Please!”
“Black Dragon Master. The population of the Tower is increasing by 100,000 each day. Even if 99 percent of them are good people, it means one out of a hundred is a criminal. That means there are 1,000 more criminals in the Tower every day.”
“……”
“If 10 criminals gather, it’s a gang. If 100 criminals gather, it’s a mafia. When 1,000 people gather, it’s a criminal syndicate. Even now, one criminal army gathers each day, and we can’t continue attacking Apocalypses forever.”
I spoke calmly.
“Even if it’s by one day, we have to finish this quickly and return to running the Tower. This is for us, for the current inhabitants, and for the newcomers.”
“If you say that…”
The Black Dragon Master bit her lips.
“If you put it that way, how can I argue…”
“Don’t worry.”
I smiled and held out my fist to the Black Dragon Master.
“When I rest, I’ll rest really well. n.o.body else can rest as well as I do, probably. You’ll be surprised if you come across me while I rest with Raviel.”
“I don’t want to see newlyweds acting lovey-dovey, you know…?”
“If you’re really bothered about it, please help me prepare a ring later. I need to give Raviel a ring, but I’m not good at this sort of thing.”
“Haa…”
The Black Dragon Master sighed deeply, still clutching her forehead.
“Fine… You need to give her the prettiest ring in the world. Really. How did I end up working with a child like this…”
“I’m forever grateful to you.”
“Drop it. In terms of being grateful… No, let’s not talk about this. It’s embarra.s.sing when other people can see. I realized this when you started dating in Sormwyn, but do you really have no shame…?”
Even as she complained, the Black Dragon Master acquiesced to my proposal.
She and other leaders of the Tower knew the truth. It would be dangerous if they didn’t return to the front lines of administration. They weren’t just Hunters who cleared floors; they were also the managers who governed the Tower.
They had to finish their days in the library.
“Transmit.”
Pop!
After some time, we each returned to the library, where Hunters were gathered. They had just watched the livestream of us six overpowering a million apostles. Was that why they only looked at us quietly, from a distance?
There was an overwhelming gap.
The authority of the top rankers was thus placed on a solid foundation.
‘Okay. Good.’
This was the atmosphere I wanted. We proved our rankings not through power but skill. We also proved that we were a united team. For a while, at least, they wouldn’t scheme anything troublesome.
“Hmm.”
There was another being who was watching us.
The owner of the Great Library, the Corner Librarian, stared at us with his chin on his hand.
“Welcome back. Congratulations. I thought that the stage would be more difficult, but your synergy surpa.s.sed my expectations. I didn’t think you could conquer a world with a reigning Constellation so quickly.”
Unlike his congratulatory words, the Librarian’s face was impa.s.sive.
‘Of course it is.’
[The Corner Librarian] was an intense lover of stories.
He loved seeing characters’ hards.h.i.+ps, trials and unexpected obstacles, and their unexpected solutions. Overwhelming victory or defeat didn’t suit the Librarian’s taste.
I knew just how to lure the Librarian.
‘Character window.’
Characters appeared before my eyes.
+
Name: Corner Librarian
Favorability: 98
Favorite Genres: [Fusion], [Romance], [Mystery], [Adventure], [Horror], [History], [War], [Sports], [SF], [Myth], [Fairy Tales]…
Disliked Genres: N/A
Favorite Characters: [Character], [Constellation Killer], [Death King]
Hated Characters: N/A
Favorite Plot: [Story]
Hated Plot: [Serial Discontinuation]
Psychological State: ‘Indeed, the Evangelist of Everlasting Happiness was a terrible match for the Infernal Heavens Demonic Art. She wasn’t lucky. Tsk, tsk. Foolish thing. She would have been able to fight a bit more if she predicted the disadvantage and asked for reinforcements from other Constellations.’
+
I nodded.
‘It’s there.’
My name was added to the Librarian’s list of favorite characters.
Next to the [Constellation Killer], which had been there before, [Death King] was added.
As the Librarian himself admitted, the [Constellation Killer] was the character he loved the most. The fact that my name was there beside his meant that I was almost as beloved.
“Librarian.”
“Yes. What will you choose for the next Apocalypse?”
The Librarian fluttered his sleeves and smiled.
“If you want, I can recommend something personally. The fairy tale ended so quickly, so how about a myth this time? It’s long and dangerous, but that’s how unspeakably great the rewards are. Or…””
“The character you love most is Lefanta Aegim.”
I cut off the Librarian’s words.
“How do I compare to him?”
“Hmm? That’s, of course… It’s almost shameful to rank you two. The Constellation Killer and you are complete opposites in nature!”
The Librarian stroked his chin.
“Um, what should I say? If the Constellation Killer is like a man who bears all the misfortunes of the world… Death King, you’re like chocolate ice cream! It’s black on the outside, so you think it’ll taste bitter, but it’s really sweet when you try it!”
Setting aside whether that a.n.a.logy was appropriate…
“I’ve chosen our next apocalypse.”
“Which is it?”
“The Epic of Lefanta Aegim.”
“……”
The Librarian faltered.
“You showed it to me when we went to the snowy mountain by ourselves after [The Chronicles of the Heavenly Demon] were cleared.”
At that time, floating before the corpse of a giant dragon, the Librarian had said that it was his dream to be killed by Lefanta Aegim. With that, he showed the old leather-bound book that he had read dozens or hundreds of times like it was something precious.
[The Epic of Lefanta Aegim].
Even now, the book was probably hidden by the Librarian’s chest.
“Death King…?”
The Librarian raised the corner of his mouth.
“Yes.”
“I know that you see the Constellation Killer as a rival, but [The Epic of Lefanta Aegim] isn’t an Apocalypse…? I can only send you to Apocalypses, worlds that have come to an unfortunate state of suspension.”
The tip of his lips was trembling.
“[The Epic of Lefanta Aegim] is still continuing. I can never intervene in it. I cannot accept your request—”
“But.”
I stared directly at the Librarian.
“Don’t you want to see it?”
“……”
“Didn’t you say so? To you, the Constellation Killer is the greatest character. And I come close to him.”
The master of the Great Library of All Things.
The Constellation who loved books more than anyone.
That was why I threw him an ‘irresistible temptation’ for a bibliomaniac.
“A scene where your favorite characters are together. Don’t you want to see it?”
The genre of the next stage I chose was a crossover.