Chapter 123 - Utopia (2)

—...

The constellation fell silent. Covered head to toe in blood, [The Immortal Evangelist of Happiness] quietly pressed his lips together. His gaze wavered. His silence stretched on, like the upheaval of a deep ocean current rather than ripples on the surface.

"... Death King."

When the constellation fell silent, his army of apostles stopped as well. A brief respite came to the battlefield, which had been relentless from the outset. The Paladin approached me.

"You intend to execute all the wicked and all the sinners. What do you mean?"

Behind the Paladin, my other companions were looking at me too. Puzzlement, bewilderment, shock. Each pair of eyes turned toward me with a different emotion.

"Exactly what I said."

I calmly met their gazes.

"I know you've purged people while running the Tower. I'm sure it's still happening behind the scenes."

"..."

"I can't tell you that your methods so far have been wrong and demand you change them. I have neither the confidence nor the ability to run the Tower better than you do. But if you absolutely must kill someone from now on, just bring them to me instead."

"Aha?"

The Inquisitor tilted his head, once to the left and once to the right. After those two tilts, he beamed as though he understood.

"I see! No, why didn't I think of this before? What a wonderful idea, Death King!"

The Black Dragon leader furrowed her brows.

"What are you talking about?"

"Think about it. Death King's ability does more than simply summon people. He can give them all their memories from life! That means we can use Death King as a [walking prison]!"

His laughter rang across the now-silent plain.

"It requires no food! It consumes no resources! Suppose Death King takes in a serial killer. All he has to do is order them, [Never murder again], and the killer is forbidden from committing that crime forever!"

"..."

The Black Dragon leader's eyes slowly widened. So did the Count's and the Paladin's. Though taken aback, they quickly calculated the benefits the Inquisitor had presented.

"Using Death King's skill as a prison..."

"Yes! Ahaha. Criminals will be quite frightened. And isn't the fitting turn of phrase beautiful? Death King. Literally a king who imprisons and takes charge of those who deserve to die. There could be no more appropriate epithet!"

"Speaking as the Union's leader..."

The Count took out a fan and tapped her lower lip.

"Not bad. As you all know, crime rates in the Tower are considerably higher than in the outside world. Our prisons are chronically overcrowded, and maintaining so many of them is hardly cheap."

"Quite right. As Master of the Pantheon, I am naturally in favor as well!"

The Inquisitor smiled. An impromptu meeting of the top Guild Leaders had begun.

"The purpose of prisons is [isolating criminals] and [preventing repeat offenses]. But no matter how excellent the rehabilitation program, it is difficult to achieve 100% [prevention of repeat offenses]. The human heart is as challenging as it is beautiful. Death King, however, can prevent repeat offenses entirely!"

"..."

The Paladin hesitated.

"I... don't know. I admit it's efficient. But it doesn't sit right with me. Aren't we placing too great a burden on Death King alone?"

"Death King already houses two thousand martial artists from the Demonic Cult and the orthodox factions! Surely there are others we don't know about! If he already holds two thousand, any number beyond that is meaningless."

"... No. I abstain."

Meanwhile, the Black Dragon leader was studying my face. A mixture of emotions filled her black eyes.

"Will you really be all right?"

I could sense her regret. She felt responsible—responsible for drawing me into their world.

"I'll be fine."

I meant it. I was grateful. She felt responsible even though I had willingly thrown myself into this. The Black Dragon leader was a kind, noble person.

Someday, the day would come when I learned her real name.

I turned and looked up at the constellation.

"What will you do?"

—...

"I won't stop you if you want to keep fighting us. But the outcome is decided. I'll take in that utopia you're so proud of."

After a long silence, the constellation spoke.

—... I am not merely a fragment of the [Goddess of Protection], but [The Immortal Evangelist of Happiness], with a million apostles under my command. If you take me in, all my apostles will fall under your control as well. I ask you: what guarantee is there that you will not use them as a private army to commit atrocities?

"I won't."

My answer was unequivocal.

"Even when you invaded Raviel's world, I summoned only the Demonic Cult's followers. I had also killed martial artists of the orthodox factions, so I could have summoned them too, but I didn't. It would have violated what is right. Those people shouldn't have to obey the Demonic Cult's Young Cult Leader."

—...

"Whether there are a million or ten million, let your apostles live happily in this world as they always have."

The constellation slowly lowered his head.

Only when overwhelmed by force and defeated by logic does a person let slip the last words left deep within their heart.

The constellation clad in a child's form murmured softly.

—Ah, Lord Lefanta Aegim...

The constellation's body began to melt away.

—To meet you once more, I...

Blood rained from the sky. It fell to the ground and pooled, slowly hardening into the shape of a sword. A sword had no mouth, so the constellation never finished his final words.

[The Sword of Sacrifice speaks as it awaits your judgment.]

The Tower merely conveyed what the sword wished to say.

[My name is Sacrifice.]

[I can convert one person's suffering into happiness for others.]

[The nobler and purer the sufferer, the greater the happiness.]

I walked toward the sword embedded in the ground.

Then I raised my holy sword and brought it down upon the bloodstained blade.

[The Goddess of Protection absorbs her fragment.]

The sword shattered.

[The Goddess of Protection's presence grows more distinct.]

At the same time, the apostles surrounding us in layer upon layer melted away. Hundreds of thousands, a million children covering the plain to the horizon crumbled. Even as they crumbled, their eyes were smiling.

SHHHHH

As the apostles collapsed, red liquid flowed from them, and in an instant, the horizon of the plain became the horizon of a crimson sea.

[Stage clear.]

[The 28th-floor stage has been cleared today.]

A shallow sea of blood.

The Black Dragon leader stared blankly down at the blood rising to her calves.

"... Information really is what you need to clear a stage. If you know the weakness, you can clear it so easily. When we landed in the middle of the enemy, I was preparing to flee as far as we could. But this quickly..."

"Huh? What? What happened?"

Viper, who had been fighting the apostles alongside the skeletons, looked bewildered. He was the only one of us who hadn't listened to what I was saying and had simply kept doing his job.

"Why'd these guys suddenly turn into red paint? Huh?"

The Paladin sighed.

"It's so nice to see that you never change, Viper..."

"... What's that about all of a sudden? Have you fallen for me?"

"Ahaha. That would be entertaining, but probably not. The Vigilantes' deputy leader has been dating someone for a long time already!"

Viper's lone eye widened.

"What? Seriously? Who?"

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that much. Find out for yourself!"

No one told Viper. Judging by the mood, everyone seemed to know, as though it were an open secret. I was curious too, and tempted to bring up a [Character window] and read the Paladin's mental state, but I refrained. That would be too much of an invasion of privacy.

"Well, well! That was splendidly quick!"

The Count came over and slapped my back.

"I'd braced myself to pour money down a bottomless pit for at least a day! That's Death King for you. You remember who first took notice of you when you were a rookie, don't you?"

The Count was delighted that we had safely weathered the ambush. I hated to dampen her spirits, but I had no intention of taking a break here.

This stage had only ever been a stepping stone.

"I'm sorry, Count. We're not finished clearing stages yet."

"Hmm? What do you mean? Didn't the notification say the 28th floor was cleared?"

"Yes, we're done with the 28th floor."

I nodded.

"But I intend to clear everything up through the 30th floor today."

At those words, everyone turned to me at once: the Black Dragon leader, who had been staring blankly at the sea of blood; Viper, who had been pestering the Paladin about who she was dating; and the Inquisitor, who seemed to be considering what lay ahead.

"Today? In a single day?"

The Black Dragon leader was surprised. She wasn't questioning whether it was truly possible. She no longer doubted my abilities. She was only worried about my condition.

"Death King. No, Kim Gongja. You've been pushing yourself too hard lately. You haven't rested a single day since entering [Tales of Sormwin Academy]!"

'Ah.'

Right. That was how it must look to her.

I'd gone around causing every kind of mayhem with Raviel under the pretext of our honeymoon, but those escapades were a secret shared only between the two of us. To everyone else, I really had been running nonstop.

"Take some time off, even if it's only a little. Humans are creatures worn down by stress. Unless you carefully plan your working time and your resting time, you'll eventually collapse. It's true. You're still young, so you might not realize it..."

I smiled.

There was something truly beautiful about seeing someone sincerely worry for another person.

"You're right. I am pushing myself a little."

"Exactly. So take a break from clearing stages for a while..."

"That's why I'll finish it all today and then rest."

The Black Dragon leader put a hand to her forehead.

"You're not listening to me at all! Take a break! Please!"

"Black Dragon leader, the Tower's population is increasing by hundreds of thousands a day. Even if ninety-nine out of every hundred new arrivals are good people, one will be a criminal. That means a thousand more criminals every day."

"..."

"Ten criminals together make a gang. A hundred make a mafia. A thousand make a warlord's army. That's effectively one new warlord's army every day already. We can't keep devoting ourselves to clearing apocalypses forever."

I spoke calmly.

"We need to finish as soon as possible and get back to running the Tower. That's for our sake, for the residents' sake, and for the sake of the newcomers."

"When you put it..."

The Black Dragon leader bit her lip.

"When you put it that way, what can I possibly say...?"

"Don't worry."

I grinned and held out my fist to her.

"When I rest, I'll make sure I really rest. I doubt anyone rests as well as I do. If you ever see how Raviel and I spend our downtime, you'll be shocked."

"I have no desire to watch newlyweds being disgustingly lovey-dovey...?"

"If you're really concerned, help me pick out a ring later. I need to give Raviel one, but I'm hopeless at this sort of thing."

"Haaa."

The Black Dragon leader covered her forehead and sighed deeply.

"Fine... We'll have to give her the prettiest ring in the world. Really, how did I end up styling this boy from head to toe...?"

"I'm always grateful to you."

"Enough. If we're talking about gratitude... No, let's not say things like that. It's embarrassing in front of everyone. I realized this when I watched your romance in Sormwin, but you really have no sense of shame, do you, Death King...?"

Despite her grumbling, the Black Dragon leader went along with my proposal.

She and the rest of the Tower's leadership knew the truth as well. It would be dangerous if they didn't return to the front lines of management soon. They weren't merely hunters clearing the Tower; they were administrators governing it.

It was time to bring our days in the library to an end.

"Teleport."

Light flashed!

We returned to the library one after another.

Hunters were gathered in the library. They had clearly witnessed the six of us easily overwhelm a million apostles on the live broadcast. Was that why? They simply watched us quietly from a distance.

An overwhelming gap.

The authority of the highest-ranked hunters now rested on a firm foundation.

'Okay. Good.'

This was the atmosphere I wanted. Proving our rankings through ability alone, not power. And proving them as [one united team].

At least for the time being, no one would rashly attempt to stir up trouble.

"Hmm."

One other figure was watching us.

The Librarian, master of the Great Library, stared at us with his chin propped on his hand.

"Welcome back. Congratulations. I expected you to struggle a little more, but the synergy you produce together easily exceeded my predictions. I never imagined you would wrap up a world still ruled by a constellation quite so quickly."

Despite his congratulations, the Librarian's face was expressionless.

'Of course it is.'

The [Shut-In Librarian] was a story fetishist.

He loved characters' suffering, adversity, unexpected obstacles, and unforeseen solutions. Overwhelming victories and overwhelming defeats were not to his taste.

I knew how to entice such a Librarian.

'Character window.'

Letters appeared before my eyes.

Name: Shut-In Librarian

Affinity: 98

Preferred Genres: [Fusion], [Romance], [Mystery], [Adventure], [Horror], [History], [War], [Sports], [SF], [Myths], [Fairy Tales]...

Disliked Genres: None

Preferred Characters: [Characters], [Heaven-Slaying Star], [Death King]

Disliked Characters: None

Preferred Plots: [Stories]

Disliked Plots: [Discontinuation]

Mental State: *'Indeed, the Immortal Evangelist of Happiness was a terrible match for the Divine Art of the Demonic Heaven. Such bad luck. Tsk, tsk. Foolish thing. Had he anticipated his disadvantage and asked other constellations for reinforcements instead, he might have put up something of a fight.'*

I nodded.

'There it is.'

My name had been added to the Librarian's preferred characters.

[Death King] had joined the existing [Heaven-Slaying Star].

As the Librarian himself had admitted, the [Heaven-Slaying Star] was his most beloved character. Having my name listed alongside his meant I had risen to a position comparable to the [Heaven-Slaying Star].

"Librarian."

"Hmm, which apocalypse will you choose next?"

The Librarian smiled, his sleeves fluttering.

"If you wish, I can offer a recommendation myself. Since the fairy tale was cleared so quickly, how about a myth this time? Epic and dangerous, but equally absurd rewards await. Or perhaps..."

"Your favorite character is Lefanta Aegim, isn't it?"

I cut him off.

"How do I compare to him?"

"Hmm? Well, of course... It would be a shame to rank one above the other. You and the Heaven-Slaying Star have completely opposite dispositions!"

The Librarian stroked his chin.

"How should I put it? Hmm. If the Heaven-Slaying Star is a man who seems to carry all the misfortune and misery in creation... Death King, you are rather like chocolate ice cream! You look dark, so one expects bitterness, but upon tasting you, you're incredibly sweet!"

Leaving aside whether that comparison was appropriate...

"We've already decided on our next apocalypse."

"What is it?"

"The Epic of Lefanta Aegim."

"..."

The Librarian froze.

"You showed it to me when the two of us went to the snowy mountains after clearing Chronicles of the Heavenly Demon."

Back then, standing before the corpse of an enormous dragon, the Librarian had told me that his dream was to be killed by Lefanta Aegim. He had then shown me, with great care, a leather-bound book worn from being read dozens, hundreds of times.

[The Epic of Lefanta Aegim].

Even now, that book would be hidden within his robes.

"Death King...?"

The Librarian lifted the corners of his mouth.

"Yes."

"I know you consider the Heaven-Slaying Star your adversary, but [The Epic of Lefanta Aegim] is not an apocalypse...? I can only introduce you to apocalypses—to worlds whose stories have met an unfortunate discontinuation."

The corners of the Librarian's lips trembled slightly.

"[The Epic of Lefanta Aegim] is a story still in progress. I must never intervene. I cannot grant your request..."

"But..."

I stared straight into his face.

"You want to see it, don't you?"

"..."

"You said it yourself. The Heaven-Slaying Star is your favorite character. And I'm a character on par with him."

The master of the Great Library of Myriad Thoughts.

The constellation who loved books more than anyone.

Precisely because of that, I offered this story fetishist a temptation he could never refuse.

"A scene with your favorite characters together. Don't you want to see it?"

The genre I had chosen for our next stage...