Chapter 310: Layer (3)

I stared at my son for a moment. Silence fell. Uburka’s fangs, which he brushed every morning, were snow white. The sunset lingered between his teeth.

The whole world was silent except for my voice. “Uburka, If I send you, you will become an envoy urging the enemies to surrender. Do you understand what that means?”

Uburka smiled faintly. “I do. I know everything you know and are worried about. Still, I also know you have no choice but to grant my request. Please send me there.”

“Seriously, there is no son more unfilially filial than you...”

𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

“

Ugor.

Can you really add such an adverb to the word ‘filial?’”

“Why not? Think outside the box, Son. Language is something we create.”

Our father-son conversation flowed leisurely into the evening.

“Wait a moment, you two. What in the world are you talking about?” the Assistant Writer asked, seemingly dumbstruck after listening to us. “Yes, language is something we create, but being enslaved by the specter of language and missing its essence is a trap a writer must avoid at all costs. If my words don’t conform to grammar, it’s not me who’s in the wrong. It’s the grammar that can’t keep up with me.”

“I appreciate your opinion, Assistant Writer. We’re on the same wavelength.”

“Let’s shove that bullshit aside and let someone else feed on it for now. Are you really going to send an envoy?

Um

, you’re—”

“I’m his son,

ugor,

” Uburka answered.

“Alright. Death King, I won’t ask how you ended up with a son who looks like an ogre. I try not to get involved in complicated family matters, especially ones that look as tangled as the electrical wires behind a computer. Just tell me what you’re planning to do. Are you sending your son into the heart of enemy territory?”

“Yes.”

The Assistant Writer furrowed her brow. Her glasses somehow did the same. “That’s dangerous! Can’t you see what’s going on? The first headquarters of the Magic Tower is basically screaming that they’ll fight until they die. And the enemy general’s son, who will make a perfect hostage, arrives. Do you think they’re going to say, ‘

Oh

, please come sit down, have some tea. Did you finish it? You can go now. Be careful on the stairs when you leave,’ or ‘We’ve captured the son of the evil lord of death’ while writing

a dark romance novel?”

Putting aside the analogy that showed her why she was considered Hamustra’s apostle, the other apostle-level Hunters of the Anti-Magic-Tower Alliance opposed the suggestion as well.

“The Assistant Writer is right. Actually, I don’t know what kind of novel she’s talking about, but it’s too much trouble to figure out, so I’ll just say she’s right. The important thing is that we’ve already given these guys a chance,” said the Berserker.

“We gave them more than enough time! And yet they refuse to surrender! Death King, they have already trampled on your merciful second chance with their bloody feet. Give the order to attack immediately. Let Lord Mahos’ warriors take the lead and sweep them away,” offered the apostle of the Eternal Plains Warhorse.

“Exterminating all the Spiders is excessive, but destroying one spire is a reasonable sacrifice, isn’t it?” asked the apostle of the Incarnation of Love and Lust.

Though they had different justifications, their true intentions were clear. They wanted a bloodbath, but there was a problem. Perhaps I could say that I had no choice but to tolerate the slaughter, or that I couldn’t refuse when the parties involved wanted it.

But if I do, I would be betraying the Five Guild masters who recognized me as their leader

.

I promised my colleagues a new era. They were still defending our world and working for the safety and well-being of ordinary citizens. Though they weren’t here now, I felt their presence as strongly as the Guardian standing by my side.

Before I knew it, all the commanders around me were staring at me. After all, I was the one who made the final decision. I glanced up. The sky on the fiftieth floor was filled with dark clouds. The sunset bled red through those slight gaps.

“Is it evening now?” I murmured.

It would probably get darker soon. A long night was looming over us. I looked at the tower.

“Until dawn breaks and illuminates the city. That is the amount of time they’re allowed to have.” I looked at Uburka. “And that also applies to you.”

I didn’t mention that it was also the time

we

were allowed to have, how I would bear the consequences of all the negotiations he conducted in my absence or that of his failure. There was no need to say that despite the risks, I trusted him that much, so I was sending him there. Even if he were to fail, I would bear responsibility for his failure. Saying all that was needless.

It wasn’t because all the alliance apostles were listening to our conversation. Nor was it because the Magic Tower’s first headquarters were probably also eavesdropping. It was because Uburka had already said he knew everything I knew, including my concerns and how I had no choice but to grant his request.

Yes, he knew. There was no need to say anything else that we all already knew.

“Son,” I said, shaking my head and again, “Chief Warrior.”

Uburka bowed.

I tapped his hard, broad forehead with the back of my hand. “Do what you can, what you must, and what you want.”

“Yes, Patriarch,” the Death King Clan’s chief warrior replied.

***

“One night,” I said to the apostles. “Until dawnbreak or sunrise, any time is fine. I know you have already waited a thousand years, so I’m aware how shameless it is to ask you to wait even a little longer.”

I bowed so deeply that my forehead almost touched the ground. “Nevertheless, can you grant my request?”

The apostles were taken aback.

“

U-um.

”

“Wait, Death King. You don’t have to bow...”

“That’s right! Without you, we couldn’t even dream of what we have now...”

Some tried to stop me. Others hesitated to speak. And, of course, some couldn’t hold back their raging breath.

“

Hm.

”

“

Ugh.

”

But not one of them opposed my decision, not even the angriest people. The apostles looked at each other and sorted out their thoughts.

“All right. Just one night.”

“It’s just one more day to the Magic Tower’s millennium reign. That's fine.”

“Even if they were given a thousand nights—no, a thousand years, the bastards from the first tower wouldn’t change their mind.”

Alright, we have their consent.

“Thank you.” I stood up and looked back at Uburka. “What are you doing? Hurry up and get in. When the sky brightens, I’ll take the lead and tear down the remaining Spiderweb of the Magic Tower. Every second counts.”

Uburka bowed deeply. “Yes, Patriarch.”

Without giving anyone a chance to stop him, he ran off. Yes, he ran, if running could mean leaping over hundreds of meters in a single step.

Booooom!

Thud! Thuuud!

The entrance to the spire burst open. Dozens of layers of barriers and hundreds of magic spells protecting the gate were torn to shreds. Immediately, the alarm went off from the top of the spire, but even before the alarm sounded, screams could be heard from inside the tower.

“Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Enemy attaaaaaack!”

“W-what? What’s going on? Who are you?”

“I am Uburka, the son of the Death King. I came here to talk to you!”

“What the f—”

“Son? The Death King’s your father? How can you look so different from your father? What kind of seed—”

“If you want to talk, why the heck would you break down the door!!”

“

Hahahaha!

Talking is a privilege reserved for the strong. You weaklings can beg for a conversation, but you won’t listen. I know. I know everything. First, let me prove my power!” he yelled.

“What

do

you know? Hey, hey! Wait a minute! This isn’t a joke...”

“Requesting backup! Requesting backup! We are being wiped out—”

Thud!

After a scream, the tower’s iron gate closed again. It seemed that a spare gate existed in case of breach. These guys were well prepared, although no one in the universe could prepare for Uburka’s existence.

The alliance apostles were silent.

The Assistant Writer barely managed to open her mouth. “

Um...

He’s a rather unique envoy.”

I shrugged. “He’s not wrong. If you don’t have power, people don’t listen to you.”

“First of all, I completely understand that you are that guy’s father, and that he’s your son. You guys act like replicas of one another.”

“But I’m the more handsome version.”

The Assistant Writer tilted her head. “

Huh?

”

“What?”

Night fell. The spire was already as black as obsidian. As the darkness deepened, the tower grew so quiet that it was hard to believe it was even there. It was just... eerily quiet. The chaos created by Uburka’s first appearance seemed like it had never happened. There was no sound of voices or footsteps coming from the spire.

Time passed. I sat on the bare ground and meditated in the lotus position. The Chemist had scolded me for relying too much on aura, but now was the time to accumulate mine through aura alignment.

No one disturbed me while I was lost in meditation. Ordinary followers were still frightened by the terrifying power I had shown them ten days ago, and the apostles left me alone out of consideration since I was a father who had sent his son into a potentially deadly trap.

Only the Gray Spider, who saw no reason to show me any consideration, approached.

“Aren’t you worried?” She leaned on her crutch as she sat down next to me. “Shit. Thinking about living like this for a while makes me feel like I’m going to go crazy.”

“Hasn’t your mana recovered somewhat?”

“Yes, but the healer you brought says if I use mana again, I’ll die.

Ha!

She would die at one wave of my hand. I don’t know how long it’s been since someone talked to me like that,” the Gray Spider grumbled. “Are all people from your world so rude? Why are you all like this?”

“But why do you want to do it?”

“

Huh?

Doing what?”

“She warned you that using magic would kill you. Why are you preparing to use it?”

The Gray Spider sighed. In the distance, three hundred torches of the alliance camp illuminated the area, flickering in the wind. However, the Gray Spider’s gaze wasn’t on them. It was fixed on the Magic Tower’s first spire.

She said, “Because I’ll have to use it soon.”

“Didn’t you say you accepted your defeat in the duel?”

“I accept it, but I can’t just stand by and watch those guys die.” The Gray Spider laughed hollowly. “What else can I do but die together with them?”

I slowly circulated aura throughout my body. “You’re loyal. What was that guy’s name, Charumu? The one who escaped the Magic Tower with me stabbed his superior so ruthlessly and showed social skills that would have won him every game of Hall of Legends. I thought there was no loyal witch in the Magic Tower.”

“What’s Hall of Legends?”

“It’s an old game. Don’t change the subject,” I said.

“Everyone has someone special in their life, don’t they?”

The Gray Spider’s voice was still hollow. She glanced at the three hundred torches and the army of apostles surrounding the Magic Tower’s first spire.

“Of course, there are more people who aren’t special at all, so kid, I’ll ask you not to give me the same ol’ bullshit of ‘If you know how to treasure someone, why did you do that to those people?’ If you want to wallow in your moral superiority, go ahead, but if you’re going to do that, please do it to those bastards too.”

The Gray Spider sighed. Her voice was deep and thick, as if it carried poison.

“Isn’t that funny? ‘We condemn the Magic Tower. We mourn those who died under the Magic Tower’s oppression. Therefore, we are innocent victims.’ What a bunch of psychos.”

It was also hot and sticky like gum on the road.

“They come to the fiftieth floor and only think about what happened to them, but they don’t care what they did to the people on the floors below. No, they probably don’t even remember. Even if a few do, they’ll justify their actions, saying things like ‘I didn’t mean it’ or ‘I was secretly against it.’ They’re trash.”

The Gray Spider spoke more quietly than the raging flames.

“They’re false gods.”

I stayed silent.

She took a deep breath and let it out. “They’re bastards in many ways. They use grand words like justice, a bigger cause, and commemoration. But, from start to finish, they’re justifying their own feelings. That’s how a cult works, right? Their doctrines change depending on the situation.”

The night air was no longer cold. It was heated by the anger of the apostle army and sticky with the Gray Spider’s hatred.

The Gray Spider finished her words with malice and contempt. “So, Death King, the first spire is where my sisters stepped on the fiftieth floor at the same time as me are. They can never surrender. Crawl down in front of those false gods who stand tall and proud? It’s better to die. Don’t you agree?”

I asked, “So you will fight us?”

“It will probably turn out like that. We’ll all die, or worse.” The Gray Spider’s voice grew cold. She hollowly spoke again. “That’s how the world works. That bastard would say the same thing, wouldn’t he? I’ll gladly press the like button two hundred times. Don’t you think so too, Death King?”

***

I smiled bitterly. “I won’t comment on the Guardian’s remarks.”

“Yeah, don’t say anything. Forget about him. Why did you send your son as an envoy?”

“Do you want to know?”

“It’s more like I feel shitty. Seeing you sitting here pathetically makes my stomach turn.” The Gray Spider narrowed her eyes, seemingly angry. “Look at you. You’re no different from the Sword Emperor. You keep shouting, ‘Up, up, higher,’ but when you do that, it’s the people who want to stay by your side that get left behind. He’s your son, isn’t he? If you were worried about him, you should have stopped him. Why didn’t you?”

“I’m not worried,” I said. “I don’t worry about my son. Uburka said he would persuade the first tower. Since he said so, he will keep his word. This isn’t reckless bravado. Uburka was a conqueror who brought an entire continent to its knees, a hero of his era. I’ve never doubted my son.”

Silence fell. The Gray Spider closed her eyes and murmured, “How can you be so sure? I told you they won’t be persuaded. It’s better to die than to surrender. They won’t do it because—”

“My son was in the same situation.”

The Gray Spider slowly opened her eyes. “What do you mean, the same situation?”

“Uburka. I’m talking about his species.”

“What?”

“Those children lived as slaves to another species. There was a time when they worshiped me as a god. My children, however, chose a different path. A path you couldn’t have imagined, and also one you might question. Uburka will show them that another path exists. Only those who were born with the same circumstances but chose different paths can convince others who are in a similar situation.”

I didn’t glance at the Gray Spider. Instead, I looked at the army and the sky beyond.

“So, my son will certainly be able to make your people surrender.”

Dawn was breaking.