Chapter 437: Ninety-Second Floor, The Feast’s End (3)

[Eliminate the third-class god ‘Eternal Feast’ alongside the other apostles. Time remaining: 47 hours 24 minutes.]

The deserted, ashen-gray city was all that stood between Eternal Feast and us. Atop the skyscraper, he and his apostles remained unmoving, looking down at us.

Is this a god’s pride?

He seemed disinterested, as if expecting me to make the first move, but I didn’t plan on attacking yet. There was no reason to be hasty.

Better to use this time to take stock of the battlefield.

Even if the streets appeared empty, there was no telling what could be concealed within them. Enemies could be hiding inside the buildings, or perhaps they had set up traps to kill unsuspecting invaders.

Regardless of whether any hidden dangers existed, carefully examining the battlefield ahead of time was a wise course of action. Only then could I react properly in a moment of crisis.

After all, they had the home ground advantage.

The other apostles apparently shared my thoughts. While keeping their eyes fixed on the Eternal Feast and his followers, they swept their gazes across the city to quickly grasp the lay of the land.

They had sharp senses. One didn’t become an apostle by chance. Additionally, the tower had selected them to help me complete the ninety-second floor.

Only the skyscraper truly stands out.

The buildings varied in height, but aside from that central tower, nothing appeared unusual. Although I couldn’t scan the entire city, I didn’t notice anything within my sensory range.

Of course, I was more than capable of missing something, and Eternal Feast could have concealed something well. The fact that I had unlocked Scientist Do’s Composure after encountering him led me to believe that.

As his name suggested, Eternal Feast drew his power from festivals and revelry. The Tower of Ordeal itself had described his realm as a hedonistic asteroid. If one looked back at Earth’s history, banquets had always bred danger, whether in the East or West. It was ripe for assassinations or uprisings. Even gambling carried phrases like “bottom dealing,” proof enough that deception and sleight of hand were his specialty.

I will need to stay sharper and more focused than ever.

Perhaps I was worrying unnecessarily, but I couldn’t afford to be careless. If Eternal Feast truly wished to hide something, I wouldn’t be able to uncover it so easily. All the same, this battlefield appeared deliberate, like he wanted to minimize needless casualties.

Whether by the Tower of Ordeal’s will, or by Eternal Feast himself.

Neither party wanted innocents to die—especially if this was one of Eternal Feast’s worlds, full of his worshippers. From the way things appeared, he already knew we were coming. The tower had informed him of this trial.

I wonder if the tower framed it as a chance for atonement, either defeat the challenger or die.

Anyway, sending ordinary believers to fight me would be like carving his own flesh. Every one of his worshippers’ deaths would diminish his divinity. Confident of victory, he would simply seek to minimize the damage to the world under his rule.

Suppressing my idle thoughts, I commanded, “Wan and Skyalf, take one of the apostles. Sdeeka and Purehe, you handle the other one.”

Their startled responses spilled out almost immediately.

“What?”

“What did you say?”

Even with the taut atmosphere, they couldn’t help but reflexively feud against one another. Wan, who had always acted politely, even let slip a blunt retort.

I had expected some resistance, but not to this extent. They had to truly detest one another. Because of their bickering, I had hoped to keep them apart, but there was no helping it.

I dismissed their protests, “This combination is ideal.”

Although I knew full well that Wan and Skyalf didn’t get along, this duo was just too well-suited for one another. We didn’t know Eternal Feast’s or his apostles’ specific abilities, so we would have to rely on a basic formation.

If I paired Sdeeka with Wan and Skyalf with Purehe, it would leave two close-range fighters on one side, and two ranged fighters on the other. Moreover, pairing Sdeeka with Skyalf would mean Sdeeka couldn’t maneuver properly amidst Skyalf’s destructive magic.

Just like he had bragged earlier, Wan’s body was sturdy enough that most attacks wouldn’t even leave a wound.

Unfortunately, his temperament makes him hard to work alongside.

With his resilient frame and crushing greatsword style, Wan was the best partner for Skyalf’s destructive magic. Sdeeka—who fought in close combat but had weak defenses—was better suited to fight alongside Purehe, a balanced mage when it came to offense and defense.

“But still—!” Skyalf bit his lip and cut himself short.

Wan acted similarly.

They knew why I had paired them that way. If Eternal Feast were alone, or if there were a different number of apostles, I would have arranged things differently. However, as matters stood, this was the best configuration.

“If you dislike it so much, then finish quickly and regroup.”

Both Skyalf and Wan let out short sighs, then steeled their expressions.

“Fine.”

That gave me some reassurance. Though they had sparred verbally until now, with battle imminent, they could set aside their differences. At the very least, it proved they had the ability to unite when it mattered.

Sdeeka and Purehe readied themselves without a single complaint. My attention shifted to Eternal Feast’s apostles. One carried a spear, the other a sword.

“Wan and Skyalf, see the one with a spear? That’s your target. Purehe and Sdeeka, the sword.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Sdeeka had always wielded a dagger, but now he had Lung Shark’s Dagger. He also had access to shadow powers, but against a spear-wielder, that wouldn’t be ideal.

Still, it means I can afford to worry less about the apostles.

Eternal Feast continued to gaze down at me. I ran through some final considerations, first and foremost: the traitor. I had to keep in mind that the traitor wouldn’t necessarily act for Eternal Feast’s sake.

If they prioritized killing me, the real danger could come immediately after this battle ended. In that case, expending all my strength while fighting him could be reckless. My thoughts grew heavy.

That is still better than a three-on-one, but it still feels like a burden. They could even interfere mid-battle.

That was partly why I had split them into pairs.

Assuming they would be occupied, my back would be safe, giving me room to probe Eternal Feast. Plus, if trouble arose later, that advance knowledge would leave me more room to respond.

In other words, I would gauge Eternal Feast’s capabilities in advance, allowing me to adapt even if the traitor struck mid-battle.

“Everyone ready?”

“Yes.”

Only Sdeeka had answered aloud, but the others didn’t ignore me. They gave firm nods, faces set and grim.

Now that we were on the verge of battle, an odd thought crossed my mind. Eternal Feast and his apostles all wielded golden weapons, matching the light radiating from their bodies.

Are they truly made of gold? Gold isn’t exactly known for durability, though.

Perhaps they had undergone some unique treatment, or it was another metal that only gleamed with a golden light.

Either way, I couldn’t overlook another key detail about their weapons. Both Eternal Feast and his apostles had scarlet threads, about half a meter long, dangling from the tips of their weapons.

Since his title is Eternal Feast...

Did those threads carry some bewitching effect? There was no way to know. With no information, we would only discover the truth by fighting.

The apostles were waiting for me.

“Then, let’s begin.”

***

The only illumination in the ashen and gray city came from the golden radiance that Eternal Feast emanated from atop the skyscraper. He and his apostles looked down loftily, their presence heavy and menacing.

Both parties knew there wasn’t room for negotiation. The moment Kwon Su-Hyeok had arrived, he knew Eternal Feast had already touched upon causality. Because of that, he didn’t feel the need to extract information before battle.

For Eternal Feast, the situation was simple. If he killed Kwon Su-Hyeok, he would gain the chance to survive without the tower’s restrictions. Anything else meant death.

In the tense silence, Kwon Su-Hyeok steadied his breathing and drove his foot into the ground, launching forward. That signaled the true beginning of the trial, and the four apostles followed behind him. Just as planned, Wan and Skyalf moved as one pair, while Sdeeka and Purehe formed the other.

The battle had begun, but Eternal Feast still didn’t move. He remained upon the skyscraper, standing with exalted composure. Instead, his apostles leapt from the tower. Their spear and sword shone brighter as they fell, streaks of golden light carving lines through the gray city.

Just before landing, they kicked off the air. They sprang onto nearby rooftops and charged toward Kwon Su-Hyeok’s group.

He frowned.

Does Eternal Feast believe that the two of them are enough?

That was the first thought that had come to his mind, but he quickly dismissed it. No one could think two apostles could stand against four and a provisional god.

Also, Eternal Feast was a third-class god. Even if he were confident or arrogant due to his status, he wouldn’t be so foolish. Kwon Su-Hyeok concluded that Eternal Feast planned to bring up the rear.

Perhaps he is using them to gauge my strength, will act as a long-range damage dealer to harry us from afar, or fill the support role.

Though he carried a weapon, Eternal Feast wasn’t a battle-oriented god. It was far more likely he would support his apostles with buffs and the like, but he undoubtedly possessed other abilities.

For a moment, Kwon Su-Hyeok considered whether or not to take out the apostles before engaging Eternal Feast. He quickly decided against that idea. The best way to deal with a long-range nuisance was to close the gap, and that followed the original plan.

The gap between Kwon Su-Hyeok and Eternal Feast’s apostles was closing rapidly.

Launched himself skyward, he shouted, “Handle them yourselves!”

Eternal Feast’s apostles didn’t pursue him. Instead, they streaked beneath him and rushed toward the other apostles. As he surged toward the skyscraper, a sudden unsettling sensation pricked at him. He reacted instantly and activated Flash Strike.

Still midair, he rolled forward, then kicked off the air in front of him. His muscles coiled and released, hurling him backward. He spun one hundred and eighty degrees without losing speed.

Was I too slow?

Beneath him, the apostles were already colliding, but behind Skyalf and Purehe, Kwon Su-Hyeok sensed something foreign. That was the source of the unease he had felt, but the others hadn’t noticed.

The attack utilized causality, so only those who carried causality could perceive it.

Sdeeka and Wan, as close-combat fighters, had already closed in on their opponents. At the same moment, strikes that they couldn’t see—in the shape of a spear and a sword—appeared behind Skyalf and Purehe, the very weapons wielded by their enemies.

Kwon Su-Hyeok hurtled down at an incredible speed and swung his axe.

Clang!

He deflected the sword first. Without missing a beat, he twisted and knocked the spear aside as well. As Flash Strike ended, Skyalf and Purehe gaped in shock.

Even Skyalf, who had always spoken casually, stumbled into formality and shouted, “Th-thank you, sir!”

Kwon Su-Hyeok ignored him and kept his focus on the attack itself, though. It hadn’t been an illusion. When Eternal Feast’s apostles had struck, their attacks had additionally manifested behind my allies, made real through causality.

A deceptive strike, yet with substance.

It suited Eternal Feast’s title well. Still, now that Kwon Su-Hyeok was aware of the possibility, it could be countered.

He called out to the apostles, “Can you avoid them?”

Skyalf and Purehe both nodded, although they were currently focusing on shaping their spells. That was enough for Kwon Su-Hyeok, though. If they said they could, then they could. Once understood, deceptions were easy to spot. Kwon Su-Hyeok reminded himself that Eternal Feast could likely wield such attacks as well.

“Then focus! I’m going ahead again!” Still wary, he spread a domain around the apostles.

It would provide a significant amount of protection for them.

Just then, the golden light radiating from the skyscraper flared more intensely. A chill swept through him. Sensing what was about to occur, Kwon Su-Hyeok instinctively roused his divinity and rose higher.

Damn it. Should I have ignored them and gone straight for Eternal Feast?

A hint of regret swelled in his mind, but he knew that even if he could go back ten seconds, he would choose to do the same.

The pressure pressing down on him grew heavier. As he surged toward the skyscraper, Kwon Su-Hyeok overlaid his domain a second time. In that instant, Eternal Feast’s radiance flickered. A thick beam of golden light lanced downward, piercing the sky.

He could evade it, but if he did, his allies would die.

Kwon Su-Hyeok clenched his teeth. The two golden lights collided, each distinct yet clashing viciously.