The Problematic Child of the Magic Tower
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Chapter 334: The Violet Brigade (5)
From behind the Mad Fiend as he strode across the chapel, Oran crossed and spread both hands as though playing cat’s cradle.
“Ten-Thousand Thread Barrier.”
Pit, piiit!
In an instant, countless mana threads stretched between the walls, ceiling, and floor, creating a forest of threads.
A vicious domain where even the slightest brush could slice flesh cleanly away in a moment... but—
“It’s a different story if it’s an ally.”
Tiiing! Ting!
Oran moved the threads on the fly, never once obstructing the Mad Fiend’s path.
“Kraaaah!”
Kwaaaang!
With a thunderous crash, the Mad Fiend’s charge stopped.
The one who had taken the attack head-on was none other than Captain Chester.
“Ghk...!”
Of course, Chester’s arm trembled continuously after receiving the Mad Fiend’s blow.
It meant there was a clear difference in physical specs—too much to fully withstand that destructive force.
“Gilliot! If you can hear me, answer!”
Staring into the eyes revealed through the Mad Fiend’s shattered mask, he shouted.
“We’re not your enemies! Rather, you belong with the White Tower—”
“Graaaah!”
“Ghk!”
Whoooong! The Mad Fiend yanked Chester up like a radish and hurled him straight toward the wall.
At once, the threads in that section moved in perfect unison, opening wide like the jaws of a shark.
‘Damn!’
Chester hurriedly activated 『Flight』, but his body, already carrying momentum, wouldn’t stop so easily.
“These threads are a bit too dangerous, don’t you think?”
That was when Sasha’s voice rang out quietly.
As she gently swirled her small hand, a pleasant warm breeze drifted through the air.
Mana like the first spring wind of the year, melting winter’s frozen air.
“Spring Wind Melting Snow.”
There was no sound of threads snapping.
The cold, sharp threads simply melted away like snow, quietly disappearing.
“Tch. Still troublesome as ever.”
“Did you think it would be easy?”
A cold smile appeared on Sasha’s lips, and dozens of streams of wind burst out behind her.
Surging wind.
Oran, who had once seen that wind sever even the roots of one that could swallow mountains, hastily crossed his hands.
“Damn—Silken Nest of Peace!”
Thousands of threads spread out, wrapping tightly around the Mad Fiend’s body to protect him.
He turned into a solid cocoon in an instant.
Watching this, Sasha let out a scoff.
“It’s useless.”
But when the swirling wind swept across the cocoon, her eyes narrowed.
‘It didn’t cut through?’
Trying to find the cause of this incomprehensible phenomenon, she quickly realized the culprit was herself.
Lower mana density and output than usual.
The magic she was casting now was barely different from that of a level-6 mage.
“...The Domain of Hierarchy Reversal.”
“You’re quick to notice.”
The captain smiled faintly as he reduced Sasha’s power just as he had done to the Heavenly Sword.
Chwararararak!
The Mad Fiend tore out of the cocoon and moved beyond her range of awareness.
Grab!
The distance closed instantly, and his massive hand clamped around her face like a ball.
‘Such a stupid mistake!’
Sasha clenched her teeth and pulled up her mana, preparing for the horrifying impact about to come.
“Blink.”
Her body vanished as if it were a lie.
Oscar, who had been prepared, used spatial magic to move her beside him.
Kwaaaang!
The Mad Fiend slammed his hand into the wall, then tilted his head repeatedly after realizing he was holding nothing.
“....”
“....”
After several exchanges in the blink of an eye, a brief lull arrived.
Five pairs of eyes—everyone except the Mad Fiend—moved busily.
‘There’s a lot to pay attention to since this isn’t a one-on-one fight.’
‘You can’t just read your opponent’s movements—you have to grasp the entire battlefield.’
‘At least one thing is clear.’
‘The most important target in this battle is....’
Their gazes converged on each side’s target.
‘The captain.’
‘Oscar.’
The Domain of Hierarchy Reversal—capable of altering the very power output handled by mages.
The captain, holding the key to that ability, was the highest-priority target in this dungeon.
Ironically, the opposing side’s gaze was fixed on Oscar as well.
‘The Mad Fiend’s abilities are perfect for creating chaos, and Oran’s threads dominate space. But... Oscar Crucian. As long as that bastard exists, no finishing blow will land.’
The captain rapidly ran calculations in his head and reached a conclusion.
‘If Oscar and I both leave the battlefield, we gain the advantage.’
Organizing his thoughts, the captain shouted immediately.
“Oran, I’ll leave this place to you.”
“...As you command.”
With that said, the captain turned his back and walked out of the chapel.
Watching him go, Oscar quickly scanned the area.
‘If we’re going to hold off the Mad Fiend and Oran, Sasha absolutely has to stay here. Sending Chester isn’t an option... he’s already lost to the captain once.’
There was only one obvious answer to who had to pursue him.
And that was exactly why it felt unpleasant.
It was as if he was being openly lured out.
“Sasha, Chester.”
“Please go.”
“We’ll manage things here somehow.”
“...I trust you.”
Oscar hurried after the captain.
As his back disappeared beyond the chapel entrance, Oran shrugged.
“If he chases after the captain like that, it’s easier for us.”
“Because of the Domain of Hierarchy Reversal?”
“Something like that.”
Oran nodded without denying it.
“As long as the captain is registered as the dungeon master, he can adjust hierarchies freely anywhere inside the dungeon, no matter how far away he is.”
In other words, even if he left with Oscar, he could still exert influence alone.
At that, Sasha gave a small laugh.
“What, did you think I hadn’t considered that?”
“...You let him go knowing that?”
Oran narrowed his eyes.
Sasha slowly raised one hand.
“The gimmick of this dungeon—I experienced it myself. It doesn’t simply lower or raise someone’s power.”
“....”
“It’s closer to exchanging the power levels of two people designated by the captain.”
“You figured that out from experiencing it once?”
“A mage of my level naturally becomes sensitive to changes in their own power.”
“Unbelievable. But that doesn’t change anything.”
There were already dozens of people inside this dungeon.
And since their strengths varied, constantly swapping their power around was enough to make the receiving side miserable.
“Nothing changes. Do you really think so?”
“...What?”
Her voice and attitude carried a strange certainty that couldn’t be dismissed as mere bluffing.
Oran quickly turned his thoughts over, trying to figure out what he had missed.
‘No matter how I think about it, I haven’t missed anything.’
Seeing his expression, Sasha slowly spoke.
“You still don’t see it.”
“It’s a bit embarrassing, but care to explain what I’m missing?”
“Of course. The answer is the Heavenly Sword.”
Sasha spoke while recalling the back of the Heavenly Sword just before they entered this place.
“If he eliminates all the brigade members inside the dungeon, wouldn’t Hierarchy Reversal lose its meaning?”
“Huh? You didn’t forget how many are there, did you?”
At present, the Heavenly Sword was facing more than twenty Violet Brigade members, all at least level 6 or higher.
Moreover, his own level was fixed at 6 due to Hierarchy Reversal.
‘Eliminate all the weaker ones and reclaim at least level-7 hierarchy?’
In theory, it was a flawless plan.
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Even if only the level-6 members died, there would still be two level-8 opponents left—impossible to stop.
The problem was feasibility.
‘Even if it’s the Heavenly Sword, defeating all of them in a level-6 body?’
Impossible.
And among them were powerful figures like Kaya and the Designer.
After thinking it over several times, Oran shook his head.
“From your side, sure, that’s the best scenario. But that won’t happen.”
“Are you sure?”
Sasha smiled faintly.
—This swordsmanship was created to cut the heavens.
It was something he had heard so many times since childhood that his ears had grown calloused from it.
And at some point, it had become something he himself repeated habitually to the knights lined before him.
“...Huff, huff.”
Once his breathing became ragged, it refused to settle again.
His vision kept blurring, and his arms and legs trembled.
Sweat poured endlessly, forcing him to keep readjusting his grip on the sword.
—This swordsmanship was created to cut the heavens.
The teachings of his master, dead for over fifty years now, kept echoing in his mind.
His tiger-like sharp eyes, his booming voice that scolded even the smallest mistakes—
memories normally hazy and distant were unusually vivid today.
‘Cut the heavens....’
When he was young, he never fully understood what that meant.
Like many sword styles, he thought it was merely a grand-sounding phrase.
And after reaching a certain level, he believed he had vaguely grasped it.
After all, beneath the heavens, there was nothing he couldn’t cut anymore.
‘No... that’s not it.’
Strictly speaking, he had never cut the heavens.
He had only reached a point where he could cut even enemies floating in the sky.
—This swordsmanship...
I know, I know already.
But Master, even you couldn’t cut the heavens, could you?
And if I’m stronger now than you were back then, what meaning could there be left?
“....”
The Heavenly Sword lifted his heavy eyelids and exhaled roughly.
Around him lay the cold corpses of Violet Brigade members.
Nameless trash he’d never heard of before—but they were strong.
And why wouldn’t they be?
They were wielding the full power of an 8-level swordsman.
Even if it was only an empty shell without true enlightenment, the sheer force was overwhelming.
‘Five... no, six?’
He’d lost count of how many he had cut down already.
It felt like fighting enemies that refused to die.
In truth, that wasn’t far from reality.
Even if one died, another would rush in carrying the same borrowed power.
“Huuh, huuh.”
He simply planted both feet firmly into the ground and cut down whoever approached.
His sword, soaked with enemy blood, grew heavier and heavier, but he lacked even the strength to shake it clean.
The moment he tried, his precarious balance felt like it would collapse.
—This swordsmanship was created to cut the heavens.
Enough, enough already.
The Heavenly Sword grew irritated at the voice of his master constantly ringing in his ears.
No one except the first Sword Lord of the Heavenly Sword lineage—said to have reached level 9—had ever truly understood that principle.
‘What’s the point of cutting the heavens?’
There were far more terrifying things in the world than the sky.
The Great Emperor he had once faced on the battlefield was one.
The Four Great Counts who followed him were another.
Beings stronger and more fearsome than the heavens themselves.
If there were something he still needed to realize, it should be a sword that could cut beings like them—not the sky.
—This swordsmanship was created to cut the heavens.
“Haa... haa....”
The sounds of the world faded.
Only his own breathing filled his ears.
The Heavenly Sword looked around.
From the corner of his blurred vision, an enemy rushed in.
‘My legs—firmly rooted.’
Kuuung!
His feet stomped hard against the ground, anchoring his body.
So that no storm could uproot him.
So that not even the slightest tremor would shake him.
Whooong!
Using the full rotation of his hips, he swung his shoulder, arm, and ultimately his sword.
The blade moved unbearably slowly—but that didn’t matter.
No matter how slow, if it struck at the exact timing, faster than the enemy’s attack, that was enough.
Slash!
The enemy, cut by the heavy blade, split cleanly in two and disappeared behind his field of vision.
‘Another one behind.’
Normally he would have simply flicked his wrist, but now changing the sword’s trajectory required his entire body.
Twisting his whole frame, he redirected the blade and thrust again.
Kagagagak!
Sparks flew as their swords clashed, and after a struggle, his blade forced through and pierced the enemy’s chest.
“Huk... huff....”
Sweat poured like rain.
As the Heavenly Sword staggered, nearly collapsing, the Designer spoke.
“I don’t think leaving this to the underlings has much meaning anymore. What do you think?”
“....”
Kaya quietly counted the remaining members.
Only two level-6 members were left.
That meant once they died, the suppression on the Heavenly Sword and Sasha would weaken significantly.
‘Of course, even if he regains level-7 power in that condition, it may not change much....’
Still, she strongly felt they shouldn’t allow any more variables against this monster before them.
Heated mana slowly rose from Kaya’s body.
“The level-6s—fall back.”
Crack, crack.
Rolling her neck slowly, she stepped forward together with the Designer toward the Heavenly Sword.
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]

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