bookpower Chapter 119: The Hero (1)
Chapter 119: The Hero (1)
Chapter 119: The Hero (1)
Fifteen days had passed since the meeting between the Tower representatives and the empire had taken place. A lot had happened in the meantime.
The Hunters and I had an audience with the emperor. Several secret agreements were made between the empire and the Tower, but I stepped aside from the turbulence of history being written so I could conclude an episode of my story.
“Shiny.”
[Shiny answers your call.]
In the bedroom that Raviel and I shared, a sword lay on a huge bed.
“Swallow it.”
The sword had once torn out my lover’s heart and trapped this world in an eternal ten-day loop. My holy sword released white light toward the very wicked Prayer.
[The Goddess of Protection is absorbing her fragment.]
The moment the white light reached Prayer, faint red energy bloomed from the sword. She immediately spewed a red mist of blood, seemingly trying to rebel against the white light that was trying to engulf her.
[Prayer is startled.]
[Idol persuades her sister.]
The white light and the red mist tossed and turned, but the mist was a little thicker. When the red mist was about to overwhelm the white light, energy of a different color flowed out from my holy sword.
[Sympathy also persuades her sister.]
The texture resembled black wastewater; the second sister sword I had taken under joined. The tide turned. The snow-white light and pitch-black wastewater ate away the red mist, which quickly decreased in size.
[Prayer is appalled by her sisters’ betrayal.]
[Prayer roars that she cannot serve a master other than Lefanta Aegim.]
I said, “I can guess why Lefanta Aegim killed the Constellations.”
The red mist stopped moving. It didn’t have eyes, but I glared at it as if I was making eye contact with Prayer. A calm tension settled between us.
“I couldn’t understand it at all at first, but after experiencing this world, I learned that these so-called Constellations invade other worlds as they please, trying to rule them in a way they see fit. People have been living in their world even before the invasion, but these Constellations just ignore them.”
The same could be said about the Indoor Librarian, even though he had different motivations. His interest wasn’t in ruling the world, but in observing people. Even the people who were doing well in their lives were designated as characters, and he voyeurized their stories. The Indoor Librarian was the same as other Constellations when taking into consideration his way of tailoring worlds to suit his tastes.
“It’s a nuisance.”
In one word, that was a form of violence.
“Lefanta Aegim used to be an emperor, so I’m sure he’s smart. He probably thought that killing the Constellations was a better plan than using them to gain power. There probably was a Constellation in this world too, and I'm pretty sure he killed them.”
[...]
“But your master made a mistake.” I lowered the holy sword. “If a Constellation dies and disappears, another one is born in their place. The Demon King of Autumn Rain emerged on the continent where the Goddess of Protection was sealed. The Silver-Plated Heart had appeared in this world. I can tell you for sure that your master isn’t solving anything. He’s creating bigger problems instead!”
[Prayer says Lefanta Aegim...]
“Go ahead. Tell me I’m wrong.”
The sword wrapped in red mist was silent.
“Perhaps my life experience lacks depth compared to that of your original master. Yes, your master probably went through tremendous hardships and knows much more than I do. He may have taken on the karma of becoming the Constellation Murderer only after long contemplation and agony,” I said with sincerity. “But there is something I wholly believe: if he did something, he has to take full responsibility for his actions.”
[...]
“Because your master went on a killing spree of Constellations, eternal winter arrived in another world. The martial artists who lived in that world turned into walking corpses. It’s an insult to them. Even if Lefanta Aegim has noble ideals, the consequences of what he did cannot be forgiven. He has to take responsibility.”
The red mist slowly gathered, taking on the shape of a human being. The sword, now looking like a child bathed in blood, spoke.
—My name is Prayer. I listen to people’s wishes. Lefanta Aegim prayed to me and said, “I’ll kill all Constellations so that they may never manipulate humans again.” His prayer was noble and grand, carrying a heavy weight. That is why I entrusted myself to Lefanta Aegim. What prayer do you have, human?
I looked down at the child. “I won’t run away from anything. As long as I’m alive and able to reach my enemies with my sword, I won’t turn a blind eye to what is happening around me. I won’t make excuses; I’ll take responsibility for my actions. I won’t ignore things that I think are wrong and say, ‘That’s just how the world is.’”
—Aaaah...
The red child looked up at nothing in particular.
—The road to hell is paved with goodwill. All I can do is bless your goodwill and stay by your side in hell.
It was a very solemn lament.
—My ability is Trial. Anyone whose heart is pierced by me will have their wishes tested. They’ll have to prove to themselves if their wish is really sincere and still want to achieve it even if it costs them everything. My cursed ability makes them give up on their wishes.
The child turned into the red mist again and dispersed.
[Prayer pays respect to her new master.]
[May you thrive in hell for a long time.]
“Wait. Where are the others?”
“We had something to talk about, so we sent them away. What we’re going to discuss should remain confidential. Well, our meeting is being broadcast live in the Tower, but still...” The Black Witch’s voice ominously quieted down to a whisper.
“What in the world is going on?”
“Haha.” The Inquisitor laughed. No longer wearing the dress from the last stage, he was now dressed in his usual priest’s uniform. “If I were to sum up the problem at hand in one sentence, I would say that you’ve succeeded too much, Mr. Death King!”
“Pardon?”
“Think about it. In the Heavenly Demon Chronicle, you’ve shown genuine devotion to your teacher! Your respect for martial arts and how you comforted the cultists made the hearts of many Hunters swirl with emotions. After the Heavenly Demon Chronicle was cleared, thousands of martial artists from the outside world started entering the Tower every day for a while!”
The Paladin added, “Someone is filming the video being broadcast live in the Tower and is spreading it to the outside world. Actually, we allowed it to spread. Death King, your success makes a great advertisement on its own. We had no reason to stop this.”
The Countess fanned herself. “It looks like we may have taken it a little too lightly, though.”
“By ‘we took it lightly,’ you mean...”
“I’m talking about the influence a man—no, an icon like you, Kim Gong-Ja, has.”
What was she talking about? I couldn’t understand what was happening, so I looked at my fellow Hunters, who all appeared serious.
The Inquisitor, who always smiled regardless of whether the atmosphere was serious or not, responded, “113,654.”
“What?”
“That is the number of people who entered the Tower yesterday alone!”
I didn’t understand what the Inquisitor said. It took me a moment to realize that he had emphasized the word “yesterday.”
“Just yesterday?”
“Yes! The Tower only gets that many new residents when a war breaks out or if a country in the outside world falls. However, there has been no fighting recently except for small-scale local warfare! Hahaha, no country fell either! Even though the world is at peace, so many people entered the Tower!”
“Here’s the flier obtained from the outside world.” The Countess handed a piece of paper to me.
My face was drawn like a presidential candidate on an election campaign poster. Written below it was, Crown the King of Death! Head to Utopia!
“This mention of the King of Death is...”
“It’s obviously talking about your title, Death King. Fliers like this are being distributed in countless areas. Before you misunderstand, this wasn’t our doing at all. We definitely didn’t do this behind your back. People out there are doing this on their own.”
I didn’t know how to react.
The Paladin smiled bitterly. “As you may already know. But using flyers as a promotional tool is very rare. Do you get what I mean? Death King, flyers are used only when people who don’t use the Internet need to be informed.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about people in areas where the internet isn’t readily available, such as poor countries and regions under conflict or controlled by warlords. Countless poor people and refugees are entering the Babel Tower. They abandoned their countries, nationalities, and the lives they had in the outside world. Just like we did in the past,” the Paladin said.
The Viper crossed his arms. “Those people put on a black hat or a black top when entering the Tower. They say they want to join the Heavenly Demon Cult... Frankly, they joined the Tower because of you.”
“It’s not just the poor and refugees who are swarming in here,” the Black Witch said. “A lot of wealthy people are also coming in. Scientists, sociologists, and even professors who have joined the Tower with their colleagues are volunteering to help create a new society within the Tower.”
“...”
The Five Guild leaders looked at me.
“Kim Gong-Ja, you didn’t just conquer the Tower’s stages. In the outside world—no, everywhere—people want heroes who are courageous even in the face of difficulties, respectful to humans, and committed to his loved one,” the Black Witch added. “No one sets a bigger fire in people’s hearts than a good-willed hero who dedicates his life to protecting these qualities.”
She then took out her smartphone and showed the screen to me. “You’ve become our beacon.”
On the screen was the hologram always floating in the very center of the Babylon Plaza.
First Place: Sword Star
Second Place: Death King
Third Place: Black Witch
Fourth Place: Inquisitor
Fifth Place: Countess
Sixth Place: Viper
Seventh Place: Babel Linguist
Eighth Place: Broadband Communicator
Ninth Place: Paladin
The Tower had given me second place in the Hunter Ranking. I felt as if my heart was going to beat out of my chest.
“Death King.” The Black Witch took the smartphone away and looked straight into my eyes. She was more serious than I had ever seen before. “Are you ready to become our king?”