5.
We held a banquet.
We had almost cleared the 40th floor in a single attempt, and the Venomous Snake had returned from his solitary training much stronger than imagined. It was enough reason to celebrate.
We, the leaders of the five great guilds, no longer view a comrade's rapid growth with wariness or fear. Instead, like good friends, we genuinely congratulated each other.
Very genuinely, indeed.
"I've specially made my signature milk cocktail for the Chen Mu-mun Leader."
"Stop it! Stop! Old man Sword Saint! You know nothing about cocktails! You're like a kitschy dandy who enjoys the ambiance of a cocktail bar but ends up drinking only milk because you can't appreciate the taste… Blargh!?"
"Here, drink up. It's a cocktail made by a combat power meter. I thought a plain Kahlua milk would be boring, so I mixed in durian juice and espresso with milk. This place is similar to a beach resort in the midst of a jungle, isn't it? Let me measure your romantic power."
"Bloody… Ugh, Uweck! Blargh, cough, woowoowoo!"
"Hmm, romantic power 10,000… 20,000… 50,000… 530,000… It's rising. Youth is a good thing. An old combat power meter like me should just die."
"Has the Medicine King possessed you, you crazy old man!?"
It was an utterly pure chaos.
"You guys really don't grow up… Is there something wrong with your brain development…?"
The Black Dragon Witch shook her head and enjoyed a modest drinking session with the Crusader. The neatly laid picnic mat seemed to imply that those with intelligence below a certain level should not approach. The Count was snuggling up to the two, meowing and acting cute on the mat.
Peace. Luxury. Elegance.
The true grace of a drinking session, subtly flaunted by the Black Dragon Witch.
"One side is hell, the other heaven…"
I sipped my orange juice and smiled bitterly.
At that moment, a familiar voice suddenly emerged beside me.
"No. I think both sides are heaven."
"...."
I turned my head.
Below my line of sight, a sweep of white blonde hair glistened.
A face that seemed to perfectly embody the ideal, or rather, the idol of a young girl, was there.
"…You always appear out of nowhere, Lady."
"Yep! It's my specialty!"
The girl cleared her throat and supported her waist with both hands.
['The Lady Who Walks the Mirage' has manifested.]
The Lady Who Walks the Mirage.
Our guide from the 30th to the 49th floor.
Known to others as a Constellation, but in reality, she's one of the pillars, the highest authorities in the tower.
Most importantly, she's the true daughter of the Tower Master.
"Yaaaay-. That's amazing. Yep. I've praised the Death King several times already, but still, amazing! Yup yup! Just like the Ascender I had my eye on!"
Thump.
The Lady casually sat down beside me, beaming brightly. Wondering what she was up to this time, I shifted over, yet gazed at her with the eyes of a curious sparrow.
"What kind of scheme are you plotting this time?"
"Not at all. Nothing! I just came to genuinely praise the Death King."
I sighed and sipped my orange juice.
The daughter of a certain mother, a Constellation and a pillar, giggled beside me.
"The desire to praise you is sincere. You, um, you all did really well. I've seen many towers, but there's never been one where the stage was cleared almost unanimously like here."
"Never?"
"Yeah! The best case I've seen in others was when only one race was ostracized. This is actually a secret you shouldn't know at your current access level, but…"
The Lady shrugged nonchalantly and stretched out her legs.
"In that tower, the Ascenders had chosen six races. From the beginning, they agreed to make one race the scapegoat. Clever, right? Everything was blamed on that race. Floods, droughts, even my lousy life was apparently because of that race."
"...."
"There's a saying: to create allies, you first need an enemy. Those Ascenders, or rather, the challengers of that tower, came up with a proven strategy. By excluding one race, all the other races united thoroughly."
"…And that's the [best case scenario]?"
I looked at the Lady.
Every tower, including this one, is under the Tower Master's curse. The screams, grudges, and deaths boiling up in the tower are all embraced by the Tower Master, who feels their pain in their stead.
Such words shouldn't come from a child who asked me to save her mother.
"Yep."
The Lady picked up a piece of rice cake and munched on it.
"Because that one race, called the [Witch Race], eventually overthrew the other five races. They even defeated the challengers they believed to be gods and crushed the remaining four. It was a complete upheaval."
"...."
Yikes.
"Really?"
"Really really. Then, after brainwashing the other races into slave soldiers, they reversed the roles and attacked the lower levels of the tower. The humans who had been relaxing in the rear, trusting only the challengers, were all massacred. They used humans as lab rats. Happy ending, happy ending."
The Lady grinned.
"Ah, by the way, the [humans] I'm talking about are different from your [humans]. They looked like toads. Basically, their situation was reversed overnight, and those world's humans, who were treated like gods, became experimental toads in a lab."
"Unbelievable…"
"Cool, right?"
The Lady kept munching on the rice cake endlessly. Her cheeks puffed up like a hamster.
How she manages to enunciate so clearly while her mouth is full is beyond me…
"That happened about 1000 years ago."
Her eyes turned towards me.
Her face, full with rice cake, couldn't look serious, but her eyes were strangely solemn.
"You have a surprisingly deep connection with them, Death King."
I blinked.
"Really?"
"Think about it."
The Lady's expression turned serious.
"You've met them before."
"...."
Her playfulness was always lingering around her like a scent, but her eyes were like unspoiled gems, earnestly gazing at me.
I couldn't easily recall.
"How could I have met people who challenged the tower 1000 years ago? Even if it's true, the time gap is…"
"If it's just about living, using aura or magic to live for thousands of years is common. At least it is for stages beyond the 50th floor. You know that from the City of Immortals, right?"
Suddenly.
"…Ah."
The hints casually thrown by the Lady clicked together in my mind.
『Sword Emperor.』
『Hmm?』
『150 years ago, you demolished one of those demon towers, didn't you?』
That was when I reached the 50th floor, using means akin to a cheat key to meet the City of Immortals.
The 50th floor was entirely different from the stages I had experienced, dangerous, and more importantly, a terrifying [power] had seized control of the entire stage.
『Originally, there were six towers, right?』
『But I demolished one of them.』
This [power] had an unresolved grudge with my backing… the Sword Emperor.
A sworn enemy, so to speak.
So, when I imitated the Sword Emperor and shouted, that [power] immediately reacted.
『Sword Emperoooor!!』
I remember the reaction being quite intense.
『You've returned, Sword Emperor! I knew you'd come back someday!』
『Is it possession? Reincarnation? Doesn't matter! Anyway, I'll kill you!』
『You, of all people, we will kill! We'll shred your soul and scatter it across the universe, and then defecate on it! Kill him! Kill him!! Chase him to hell in the name of the demon tower!』
The sight of hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of magicians riding brooms and charging at us is something I still can't forget.
Shuddering slightly at the memory, I turned to look at the Lady.
She was beaming innocently.
"...."
Hmm.
Let's summarize:
1. A thousand years ago, there was a race that swallowed gods and humans alike, becoming the main players of the tower.
2. This race was called the [Witch Race].
3. Coincidentally, for the past thousand years, there has been a force on the 50th floor of the tower, reigning supreme over the stage.
4. This force is known as the [Demon Tower].
5. The Witch Race used the races that oppressed them either as slaves or for biological experiments. There were six such oppressed races, including the five that ostracized the Witch Race and the toad-like humans of their world.
6. Coincidentally, or rather too coincidentally, the Demon Tower consists of six towers.
"...."
So,
"The witches I met on the 50th floor of the Demon Tower are the very same Witch Race!?"
"Bababang- Correct!"
Bang!
The Lady set off a birthday-celebration firework, seemingly procured from nowhere.
"Yay, as expected of the Death King! It's so much easier to talk when you catch on quickly."
"Crazy..."
Just as I was coming to terms with the fact that my fate was intertwined and tangled beyond belief, I realized I had missed an important question.
"Wait. You mean the main inhabitants of the tower can change?"
"Of course. If the Goblin race, for example, went berserk and annihilated all your tower's inhabitants, then from that moment, the main inhabitants of the tower would no longer be humans but Goblins. Though, as long as the Death King lives, that's unlikely to happen."
"...."
"The citizens of the Aegim Empire, the people of the Apocalypse under Raviel's care. Theoretically, they could replace you all in the tower. It's just that you're currently monopolizing the [rankings], so they haven't realized it yet."
Rankings.
Indeed, currently, only those up to rank 7 could advance to the forefront of the tower.
"So, if someone from the worlds we've conquered had replaced someone here in the top 7 rankings…"
"Yes! They would be able to climb the tower too."
The Lady shrugged nonchalantly.
"But, it's not easy for them to raise their [ranking]."
"Why not?"
"Hmm? Because they're busy fighting every day in their own worlds. Those who have no reason to leave their ground usually have no reason to ascend to the heavens. No matter how strong they are, the tower doesn't pay attention to such individuals."
Her words left a strange resonance in my heart.
After a moment, the Lady shrugged again.
"But, there could be those who aim for ascension for other reasons. Like the Goblins, or should I say, the [Asura]?"
The Lady smiled with her eyes.
"Asura are strong. They know one of their own has become a Constellation and that there's a higher world out there. Not just that. They've mastered the formidable Infernal Heavens Demonic Art and even know how to perform the Infernal Heavens Formation. Those children will quickly rise in the rankings, but… that in itself will cause its own set of problems."
Was the child, like her mother, inheriting not only playfulness but also a hint of venom?
A subtle, sardonic smile, one that seemed to mock and revel in something, flickered in the Lady's eyes.
"What kind of problems?"
"You, Death King, are confident that the Goblins will never betray you. So are your comrades. But what about the vast majority of your residents who haven't participated in the conquests? Will they openly welcome the races you suddenly bring home as your children?"
"...."
"Huhuhuhu."
The Lady mimicked a playful laugh.
"What to do? Even if I, the Death King, have a good image and my words might be persuasive, what about the others? Very few people know that the Black Dragon Witch has changed. Maybe only a handful. And even fewer know about the transformation of the Heretic Questioner, maybe six at most."
"...."
"Even if they say, 'Please believe us,' will they be believed? What about the Venomous Snake? The Sword Saint? Will the people living at the base of the tower trust you? Will they really trust the children you brought with you?"
I slowly looked around.
The noisy buzz of the banquet reached my ears.
"Regrettably, the durian course ends here."
"Sa, saved… Ugh. I survived… I survived…"
"Next is a cocktail made from the body fluids of the Snail Race and top-grade salt hand-harvested from Slimepolis, mixed into white liquor. Chen Mu-mun Leader. They say you have to drink this one in one go to really appreciate its flavor. Drink up."
"Uh… Isn't that just jelly with salt mixed in?"
"Drink up."
Yes.
Regardless of age, gender, race, parents, or children, everyone at the banquet was mingling and laughing in their own ways. There was jealousy, admiration, friendship, unripe hopes, and long-brewed sighs, but…
Everyone was looking at each other squarely.
Just as the Venomous Snake did with me, and I with him.
'When you see a person as a person.'
I nodded to myself.
'That's enough.'
And then, I looked straight into the Lady's smiling eyes.
"I can solve this."
"Really?"
"More precisely, I can help ensure a solution. Well."
I turned my head to look at the Black Dragon Witch. She was playing games with the Crusader, not particularly chatting, just looking around with a bored expression. Just then, our eyes met.
-What are you looking at?
The Black Dragon Witch's lips moved. Her face was shaded under the fronds of a palm tree. Despite the distance between us, the telepathic message carried by her aura rang clearly in my ears.
"Come here for a moment."
-It's bothersome… Why?
"I have something important to say to you and the Lady."
With a sigh, the Black Dragon Witch set down her cup. Before the cup could touch the ground, before her sigh could fully escape, she used [Instantaneous Transfer] and appeared right in front of me.
"What's going on?"
"We have to prepare for an event before heading to the 50th floor."
"Event?"
"Yes. An event."
The Black Dragon Witch tilted her head. The Lady looked at me with interest.
I spoke slowly, under the gaze of both.
"Tomorrow. We're going back to the first floor of the tower to hold a vote."
"A vote? Didn't the votes end with the nobility?"
"No. There's still one last vote remaining."
I shook my head.
"We haven't yet received the votes of the [people living in Babylon]."
"...."
Anastasia fell silent.
That's right.
'There's still a truly necessary vote remaining.'
The five great guilds overcame their past divisions and united.
The guild leaders, despite the wounds in their hearts, resolved to keep looking forward.
It's a good thing.
Worthy of celebration.
'But, it's still just our story.'
The residents living day-to-day in Babylon don't know this.
They are happy and cheering for the unprecedented pace of conquering the stages, supporting the great guilds, but still, [invisible problems] lurk everywhere.
Perhaps, like in some world shown by the Tower Master, a rebellion could break out in the Temple of Ten Thousand, the Black Dragon Witch could be betrayed, and the tower might crumble from within.
"If we ignore the ordinary people living their lives, they will ignore us in return.
'We need to talk to each other.'
No, talking alone is not enough.
'We need to show them. Make them feel. Allow them to experience.'
For that reason, this event is absolutely necessary.
"Anastasia."
"Please prepare a press conference."
Anastasia narrowed her eyebrows.
"Hmm."
"I will hold the second press conference since I became the Death King."
"Such an event… wouldn't be bad. It's a triumph to boast about externally…"
"Allow not just journalists but also the tower's residents to attend freely. Let them ask questions, and I won't dodge any of them."
"And."
I looked directly at the Black Dragon Witch.
"I hope not just me, but all of you will attend."
"...."
"Let's face the people living in Babylon, speak to them frankly and openly."
For us to climb the tower together.
"...."
The Black Dragon Witch remained silent.
It was a long silence.
Not because there was little to say, but because there was too much to say, a silence endured to suppress the outpouring of words. Therefore,
"It will be dangerous."
The words that came from her lips were inevitably loaded with implication.
"A normal press conference can be controlled by us. Which newspapers and journalists are allowed, the questions and responses permitted at the conference, the seating arrangements, everything can be meticulously managed by the Black Dragon Guild. But if we allow the residents to ask questions too…"
"I know."
"...."
Anastasia closed her mouth again, and after a bit more time steeped in silence, she opened her lips.
"There are many who will try to slander you."
"Yes."
"Our guilds have secretly nurtured you as a star. The Death King's achievements are actually the works of the five major guilds, but we've intentionally attributed them to the Death King to build up a star. The Death King is merely a marionette, following the directives of the five guilds…"
"I know."
"You're an orphan. You brought your orphanage director to the tower. Because you're an orphan, people will belittle you, casting skewed views because you started taking care of those around you as soon as you ascended…"
"Yes."
"These people have no right to hurt you. There are many like them. There's no need to create a situation where you might get hurt."
"There is."
I nodded.
"There is. You know it, don't you?"
"...."
"If there's anyone out there wanting to inflict wounds and scars on me, sure, some of them might be petty like the old me… But, Anastasia, this is the consequence of the five guilds secretly running the tower for over a decade."
I placed my palm over Anastasia's hand.
"It's not about fabricating lies to hurt me. It's about people who have been treated as non-existent trying to inflict wounds on someone to show that they exist."
"…Hurting entirely the wrong person with completely misplaced wounds."
"Hmm. Well. The world is full of irrational things."
I smiled.
"But sometimes, a leader has to take on irrational responsibilities for a while."
"...."
"You made me a leader."
I spoke.
"So now, it's my turn to be the leader of this tower."