Chapter 43 - His Time (4)

6

It had taken nearly a thousand deaths to break through the twelfth floor.

From the thirteenth floor onward, it would take fewer.

'Mr. Sword Emperor.'

-What?

'Let's make a bet.'

-What kind of bet?

I lopped off the head of the first zombie to charge me.

SHICK!

Its already-rotting neck sliced beneath my blade like soft tofu. Facing the dozens, hundreds, thousands of zombies charging savagely toward me, I said:

'How many times I'll die before clearing through floor nineteen. Let's bet on that.'

-Hmm.

The attendant spirit stroked his chin.

-Okay. I'm betting on a hundred or fewer!

I grinned.

'Then I'll bet on ninety-nine or fewer.'

-Wow, you cheating bastard. You really want to be that petty? Huh?

'Yes. I really do.'

The attendant spirit snickered.

-All right. Let's watch this zombie bastard hunt his own kind. Give it your best shot! But a bet's a bet, so I'm not helping you this time. Deal?

'Deal.'

I smiled as I watched the endless flood of zombies.

[You have died.]

[Regressing to twenty-four hours ago.]

I died smiling.

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[You have died.]

[Regressing to twenty-four hours ago.]

“Ugh, we need to do something about these numbers first... Witch, can't you do any more?”

“I'm already doing everything I can. I'm the only one here with area attacks, aren't I? But it's difficult. More importantly, Death King, can't you fight fire with fire using your skill?”

“Oh, of course I need to use that too. But it's still on cooldown... I'll be able to use it in about three more continues.”

“What do you mean, three continues?”

“It's a thing. Anyway... Huh? Could this thing on the minimap be... Ah! Sword Star! Could you break through over there!? That big lid that looks like a sarcophagus! I need to check something!”

“What are you checking?”

“I'll explain later, so please just do this for now! I'm a prophet! Okay?”

“Hmm...”

[You have died.]

[Regressing to twenty-four hours ago.]

“Okay! Sword Star! That sarcophagus over there is actually a secret passage. And underneath it is a hammer with bonus damage against undead! Please go with the Witch, pick it up, and use it!”

“I have devoted my entire life to the sword alone...”

“It has an area effect! Charge it with aura and slam it into the ground, and it puts down a damage zone that wipes out all the zombies! Okay?”

“How do you know that?”

“I'm a prophet! Okay?”

“Well, really...”

[You have died.]

[Regressing to twenty-four hours ago.]

“That more or less takes care of the zombies, so now we can deal with the Demon King—oh, what the hell is that?”

“A zombie. And a giant. Thus, I would venture that it is a zombie giant.”

“Hmm. This temple clearly has a long history... Perhaps it's some sort of giant soldier that guarded the temple. The Demon King defeated it, and it became a servant... Something like that, probably. If the Inquisitor were here, I think he could tell us more...”

“Wow, he knows about religions in other worlds too? No wonder he's an SSS-rank religious professional.”

“It's all thanks to his skills.”

“Well, that's proof he's SSS-rank.”

“How unpleasant. Must you bring up that rotten fellow? In any case, I shall handle the giant.”

“Yes, Sword Star. We're counting on you!”

[You have died.]

[Regressing to twenty-four hours ago.]

“In any case, I shall handle the giant.”

“No, Sword Star. Please keep the zombies in check with the damage-zone attack.”

“Now, that giant would be an excellent test of my sword—”

“I'm a prophet! I'm a prophet! Okay?”

“Really, now... Hah. Then who is going to fight the giant?”

“The Witch, obviously. Please shoot that zombie giant's eyeball with your beam.”

“I was going to anyway. It's an eye that makes me want to shoot it. Having one great big eye is practically an invitation.”

“Perfect! Let's go!”

[You have died.]

[Regressing to twenty-four hours ago.]

“In any case, I shall handle the giant—”

“Summon a Hundred Ghosts!”

“My goodness. Death King, does that skill of yours not even have a cooldown?”

“There's a bit of a story to that... Now, I need the two of you to fight the giant. And Witch, there's just one thing I'd especially like to ask of you.”

“What is it?”

“Don't shoot its eyeball.”

“Why?”

“Because that would be a disaster.”

“But Death King. Look at that one-eyed zombie giant. Look at that enormous eye. Do you see it?”

“Yes... I see it. I know it's an eyeball that just begs to be shot, okay? But you can't.”

“Why? That... eye, Death King... If you could shoot beams like I can, and then you saw a giant with an eye like that...”

“I get it... Witch. If I were you and someone told me not to shoot that eye, I'd argue like crazy too. I don't have time to explain why right now... Please. Okay?”

“Nngh...”

“Follow the young man's advice for now, Witch.”

“Sword Star, even you...”

“The young fellow says he is a prophet. Let us follow his lead for now.”

“... All right. ... I'll do my very best... not to shoot... the eyeball.”

“Thank you!”

We ran. We fought. We saved one another. Sometimes we hid and let time pass.

We said many things.

We did many things.

-My children...!

And so we destroyed the zombies that lingered in the temple.

-My general...!

And so we defeated the one-eyed giant, surely a living legend back when this temple had served as the shield of the mountain range.

-Aaaaaah...!

[The Demon King of Autumn Rain decides to retreat.]

And then.

[The Demon King of Autumn Rain retreats to floor fourteen!]

Once again, we drove the Demon King onto the next floor.

As on the twelfth floor, droplets of light drifted through the air.

The temple standing in the middle of the boundary dividing the continent shone like a freshly polished shield.

Hymns rang out alongside bells. Merchants from the east rode horses, while merchants from the west rode strange birds that walked on two legs, exchanging greetings as they passed. Paladins sparred zealously, clashing their hammers together. The orphans left in the temple's care stole glances at the merchants with longing and the paladins with admiration, until priests caught them by their ears and dragged them into the chapel.

And at a spot with a clear view of the temple, the one-eyed giant sat perched on a mountain ridge as though it were a chair, wearing a bored expression. Whenever a cloud like sheep's wool brushed his head, he blinked his enormous eye and sneezed.

“The Mountain Lord sneezed!”

There was no fear on the face of the orphan chattering excitedly. A priest rapped the child's head in warning, then bowed deeply toward the one-eyed giant with clasped hands.

The giant grinned and waved to the priest.

Ah.

“Death King.”

Mm.

“Yes... Witch. Let's go. Now, Sword Star, are you ready?”

“Wait a moment. That merchant over there is selling a fine whetstone.”

The Sword Star bought the whetstone. While he sharpened his sword, I turned my gaze from the giant to the world map.

The red lands, now missing a patch, writhed as if they might surge back at any moment.

Even so, there was enough time for the Sword Star to sharpen his blade.

That was enough.

“Death King.”

The Witch took my hand. Having finished sharpening his sword, the Sword Star promptly took hers as well.

“Teleport.”

Light enveloped us once more.

“Hmm. So floor fourteen is a forest. The Demon King... appears to have hidden itself.”

“Be careful. I can feel bloodlust all around us.”

“Me too. Let's take it slowly. Slowly.”

[You have died.]

[Regressing to twenty-four hours ago.]

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And so, in the cursed forest, we overcame the Demon King and the corrupted elf lord under its command.

[The Demon King of Autumn Rain decides to retreat.]

[The Demon King of Autumn Rain retreats to floor fifteen!]

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.

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And so, at the waterfall that flowed backward, we defeated the Demon King that commanded the mermaid queen.

[The Demon King of Autumn Rain decides to retreat.]

[The Demon King of Autumn Rain retreats to floor sixteen!]

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.

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And so, atop the erupted volcano, we drove back the Demon King that commanded the wyverns.

[The Demon King of Autumn Rain decides to retreat.]

[The Demon King of Autumn Rain retreats to floor seventeen...]

History regresses.

To before the Demon King's army invaded the empire.

To before it invaded not just the empire, but many other nations.

To before the temple called Goddess's Shield was shattered.

To before the forest of the fae was cursed, before the mermaids' waterfall flowed backward, before the primordial volcano erupted.

Back, and farther back.

To an era before the Demon King reigned as the absolute lord of evil.

Fleetingly.

Like a wave covered by another wave, dwindling into a single drop of foam.

Like falling petals.

With each floor we climbed in the Tower, the Demon King's territory shrank. With each floor we climbed, its power weakened.

[The Demon King of Autumn Rain's existence is becoming less distinct.]

Just as the Demon King on floor thirteen had been weaker than on floor twelve.

The Demon King on floor fourteen was weaker than on floor thirteen.

And on floor fifteen, weaker still than on floor fourteen.

Weaker still. A little more. Little by little...

[You have died.]

[The Demon King of Autumn Rain decides to retreat.]

[The Demon King of Autumn Rain's existence is becoming less distinct.]

[You have died.]

[The Demon King of Autumn Rain decides to retreat.]

[The Demon King of Autumn Rain's existence is becoming less distinct.]

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.

.

-You!

Ninety-seven times.

The nineteenth floor, which we reached after my ninety-seventh death, was some unknown backwater of a nameless little kingdom.

-You!

The Demon King howled in that desolate land.

Not at the Sword Star. Not at the Witch.

The one it glared at, grinding its teeth, was me.

-If it weren't for you!

Eyes red and bloodshot with rage.

-It's because of you! It's all your fault! The proper procedure... Yes! None of this would have happened if it weren't for you! How dare you! A mere swordsman from another world...

I drew my sword.

“Hey, I can finally see your eyes.”

-What...?

“Just what I said. It took coming all this way before I finally got to see what your eyeballs look like.”

Yes.

Originally, the Demon King of Autumn Rain had no eyes.

It was a shapeless shadow. It had a face, but no expression. Arms, but no hands. Filth. Its entire body had been covered in constantly bubbling black ooze.

That was how it had been.

“Does that make any sense?”

At last, the Demon King's mask had broken.

“A Demon King and a Hero who can't even look each other in the eye. What an utterly ridiculous tragedy.”

At last, there was a part the filth no longer covered. Red, bloodshot eyes. Though they radiated vicious bloodlust... I wasn't afraid of that gaze. If anything, I welcomed it.

I pointed my sword at the Demon King.

“Come at me with everything you've got.”

-You bastard...

“Or run away again. Hey, aren't you curious? How much weaker you'll get if you run this time?”

-...

“If you don't come at me with everything you've got right now, you won't win.”

Even setting aside the rewards I would receive for clearing floor nineteen, the Demon King on floor twenty would be immeasurably weaker.

-You have the nerve to say... How dare you. A mere hyena feasting on my flesh—what do you know...?

A growl like a curse.

A shadow stood there, lost and floundering.

Slowly, I opened my mouth.

“Estelle.”

The Demon King flinched.

Its red eyes widened.

“I warned you to come at me with everything you've got.”

-...

“If you don't.”

Then I sprang forward.

A scream burst out.

Black ooze splattered.

“My time will grow longer than your history.”

Listening to the screams of the Demon King, Estelle, I stared.

Straight ahead.

Toward the path I would take.