—We don’t know who you are. Be glad we don’t! Otherwise, we would have already clipped your limbs into tiny pieces with nail clippers, gouged out your eyes with a hammer, aaaaaaand! Your family, your friends, even your homeland would have met the same end! Your world didn’t recycle. Instead, they threw trash like you here! So, everything, everything of yours will be torn to shreds! Look forward to it! I can’t wait to see if you’ll still be able to sing like a cuckoo bird after your vocal cords are cut into twenty-three pieces! The Assistant Writer turned off the recorder. It wasn’t a mechanical recorder but a magical one, a magic item that could accurately replay a person’s voice. “This is the official statement that was made in Monopoly City’s sky yesterday.” I shrugged. “That sounds very different from the official statements that I know of.” Read full story at novel⸺fire.net “This is normal for the people on the fiftieth floor. But, Death King, you’ve really pissed the Magic Tower Spiders.” “What?” the Assistant Writer asked back. “I’m just asking, Miss Writer. Do you feel that your choice to work with me was a bit hasty?” “What are you talking about? Of course, I—” The Assistant Writer dropped the recorder and crushed it with her heel. Despite her depressing eyes, she was grinning. “Of course I don’t. I’m having the time of my life. At first, I honestly didn’t understand why Mr. Indoor Librarian chose a guy like you as his agent, but now, I think I understand. You have an innocent face that says you don’t know anything about the world, but you know how to mess with people’s hearts.” “That’s too harsh. I don’t mess around. I always take my life seriously.” She chuckled. “I’m sure you do. That’s what makes you more evil! You’re the best.” I couldn’t tell if this was an insult or a compliment. An explosion was heard from afar. The vibrations traveled through the cave ceiling, causing the stalactites’ water droplets to fall. Cold water seeped into our hair, so we both shook our heads like wet cats. “It looks like the Magic Tower sent another search party to the cave.” “Yeah, this place will be discovered soon, too. Let’s move quickly. It might be okay in a city, but a chase scene inside a cave is really lame and only belongs in a horror movie!” [The Labyrinth-Dwelling Eye is guiding you to safety.] [The Lonely Seeker is attracting the intruder’s attraction.] We fled under the Constellations’ protection. As we hurried our steps, the explosions grew farther and farther away. The Magic Tower had been convinced for some time that we were hiding in this underground cave. The vibrations now were caused by the Spiders’ barrage of magic attacks. It seemed they were hellbent on finding me. But the caves of the Monopoly City are unusually vast. Even if someone destroys one entrance to the cave, a new hole appears the next day. It’s as if this underground cave is a living, giant monster. We moved straight to the next hideout. The cave’s terrain made it difficult for the mages to search for us. Moreover, numerous Constellations and their followers were helping us. It would have been different if I was alone, but the Magic Tower was at a disadvantage in this hide-and-seek game. “What’s next?” the Assistant Writer asked with sparkling eyes. Since the Grand Campaign had begun, the Assistant Writer was completely fired up. When I told her my plan, she had fabricated, spread, and reproduced rumors tailored to the situation in the city, helping us achieve our goal. I guess she’s Hamustra’s follower for a reason. Could this also be my fault? I flashed a bitter smile. “I have to meet those from the Sword Emperor Church next.” “We won’t accept someone like you.” The Assistant Writer smiled. It wasn’t a gentle smile, nor was it a friendly one. People were creatures who smiled even when testing others. “The Sword Emperor Church? They’re a group of sword maniacs. You can’t even call them a church, to be honest. It’s just a gathering of people who worship the Sword Emperor and train together. Their daily routine is simple. Breakfast, training, lunch, training, dinner, training, sleep, training again... Why do you want to meet those idiots?” “It’s not much, but we now have the foundation of the Anti-Magic-Tower Alliance,” I said. Another explosion echoed from beyond the hideout. It seemed that the fight between the Magic Tower pursuers and the followers was intensifying. [The Lonely Seeker asks for reinforcements from other Constellations!] [The Incarnation of Love and Lust is busy watching the campaign.] [The Eternal Plains Warhorse advises the Constellation to take care of that on their own.] [The Lonely Seeker spews out colorful curses.] Things seemed to be intensifying on the other side. “But it’s still not enough. Even if we have an alliance, it’s just a union of the Constellations that antagonize the Magic Tower. Up until now, all the Constellations who have constantly attacked the Magic Tower have been defeated every time. The Hunters who haven’t joined the alliance will probably think that the Magic Tower will win this time too.” “Yes, that’s right,” the Assistant Writer replied. “There are many Constellations that don’t like the Magic Tower but still cooperate with it. Even if an alliance is formed, not all Constellations will actively participate. They’ll first watch how things go. If they think things won’t work out well, they’ll quickly withdraw. That’s just how the world works.” [Shiny feels bad for not being able to help the other Constellations.] [Many Constellations have become silent.] [The Lonely Seeker cautiously asks who that was just now.] [The Incarnation of Love and Lust says she doesn’t know.] [The Eternal Plains Warhorse replies that he doesn’t know either.] [Some Constellations have become afraid of the unidentifiable entity.] “Yeah, that’s what I’m talking about.” I pressed down on Shiny’s hilt. The holy sword vibrated. She seemed to have become dispirited at my signal to stay quiet. “The quest windows of the Constellations are certainly powerful. Their followers will think that the Sword Emperor has returned and will join the Anti-Magic-Tower Alliance without hesitation. But it also means that it won’t be very effective against the other Hunters who can’t see the quest windows.” For more grand propaganda and fabrication, we needed something else—a joker card. “That’s exactly where the Sword Emperor Church members come in.” If the Sword Emperor had truly returned, then they would rise faster than anyone else. If the church acted, even a complete outsider, someone who was not involved in this fight in any way, would be shaken and ask themselves, “Could it really be that the Sword Emperor has returned?” The Assistant Writer smiled. “Of course, I can arrange a meeting, but are you aware that the Magic Tower and the Sword Emperor Church are the most upset about the rumor that the Sword Emperor has returned, right? Death King, when they find out that you’re the culprit behind the rumor, they’ll probably try to tear you apart!” I knew why they reacted so violently. “Haha. Are they mad at me for daring to pretend to be the Sword Emperor and instigate people?” The Guardian had died one hundred fifty years before, but his church still served him. I didn’t know what his followers looked like, but they were probably his most hardcore stans. Now, a little kid they had never met was impersonating their god. They would naturally be angry, so I understood why they would want to kill me. But that was true only if I was actually a liar. “It’s okay. I really am his heir.” “Again, we don’t accept you as his heir. We only allowed you to enter our sacred altar after our acquaintances begged us to meet you once. The last tolerance we can show you right now is not to cut off your head on the spot. Get lost already.” I asked, “What will make you accept me as his heir?” “We don’t accept anyone. Recognition isn’t something you receive. It’s something you earn. If you’re confident that you can subdue us, then stop talking and hold up your sword, you little brat. Though we won’t accept you as Lord Sword Emperor’s heir even if you win!” I stroked my chin. “Is that so? That’s a problem. Hmm.” “Hold on. Please give me a minute. I have something to ask this noisy mister... Oh, yes. Hmm. Okay. You over there, the one with the nice beard. Is your title Demon-Slaying Spear?” I asked, pointing at the man. “Me? Yes, that’s correct.” “Your real name is Mihustra Pelenovan. You’re from the Ten Thousand Sword Realm, the same world as the Sword Emperor, but you met him after you two started climbing the Tower.” “What are you talking about? It seems you have some puny Skills, you little cult leader. If you try to deceive the world by masquerading as a clown, you’ll meet my spear for not fearing the divine punish—” “You always followed the Sword Emperor and asked for his teachings.” Mihustra went completely quiet. “The Sword Emperor found you annoying, so he even used the Lightness Art to run away, wondering how far you would chase him. But you somehow managed to catch up and bowed, begging him to teach you. You were fine with just one lesson. When he was alone with you, the Sword Emperor asked, ‘For free?’” I pointed to somebody else. “You over there. Your title is Howling Cat. You’re a master in sound arts. Your real name is Soh Cheonmyeong, and you’re part of a prestigious family known throughout the Ten Thousand Sword Realm. Still, you’re an illegitimate child, so you left home when you were young and have been wandering ever since. You deeply admired the Sword Emperor because he freely traversed gangho without help from any prestigious family. You asked him to climb the Tower together, but he refused, saying it was too much trouble. “But you could not accept it. Every night, you would go where the Sword Emperor stayed and meowed really loudly. When he got angry and chased you, you would run away. After he went back to sleep, you would hide and meow again. One winter, the Sword Emperor finally caught you and beat you until he left you on the brink of death. “He later told you, ‘Kid, why do you think I’m beating you up? Because you’re too damn weak but ask for my lessons without knowing your place? No. Because you’re interrupting my sleep? It’s not that one either. It’s just because you meow. I hate cats. I hate them so much. So from now on, I’m going to beat you up a lot.’” “Hmm. The air is tense. I’m sorry if I triggered bad memories. I just want your recognition. No matter how much you try to deny it or how hard it is to believe, I have genuinely come here to carry on the Sword Emperor’s will. I know that the person sitting there and staring at me is known as the Peeking-Flower Bow. I also know his real name and where he’s from. Most importantly, I know how much time he spent with the Sword Emperor and what they talked about. “I can tell you the personal memories of every single person here. If the Sword Emperor knows something, then I know it too. Oh, of course, even if I say this, it’ll be difficult for you guys to accept it. Besides, if words were enough to persuade you all, you wouldn’t have joined a crazy group like the Sword Emperor Church in the first place. Come at me. I’ll deal with you one by one.” After a short silence, one of the followers came out. “You... Who in the world are you?” “My title is the Death King. The strongest martial artist in the Ten Thousand Sword Realm has taught me how to use my aura. I’m also the successor who inherited the sword from the greatest swordswoman from the snowfield. One day, I’ll set foot farther than the Constellation you worship on the altar. Okay. Since I’m done with my introduction, I’ll ask for your guidance, seniors.” The Assistant Writer walked briskly. “The followers of the Sword Emperor Church took down the Magic Tower’s pursuit party. They pulled it off in the middle of the street. Ordinary Hunters are buzzing. Those from the church are famous for not interfering with matters outside their church, but they fought the Magic Tower out in the open.” We were climbing up the cave passage. The passage had stairs that led us higher and higher. The pressure of the underground and the texture of the ground seeped into my thighs and calves. “The Eternal Plains Warhorse and the Lonely Seeker are both gathering their followers one after another. The Incarnation of Love and Lust... may not be of much help in battle, but she may provide some help with her connections. Well, what I’m trying to say is that the Anti-Magic-Tower Alliance is one step away from being completed.” Light shone down on my feet. There wasn’t a torch lit in the cave, nor was it some magical light the Assistant Writer had lit on her fingertips. It was a ray of soft sunlight streaming down from the gloomy sky. After ten days of hiding in the underground cave, I looked up at the sky for the first time in forever. The Assistant Writer smiled. “Congratulations, Death King. As you wished, we have obtained the sharpest sword of rebellion for the first time in one hundred and fifty years.” The sky of the fiftieth stage was covered with the Magic Tower’s spires. The towers were painted pitch black, as if to mock the brilliant sky, but they didn’t have even a single window, as if they weren’t willing to let anyone in or out. Above all, the five towers, each like a finger, seemed to be trying to grab the sky and pull it down. Whose hand did it resemble? I looked at the Magic Tower and smiled. “Great. Shall we go and bring down the elder now?”