Chapter 333: The Glass Palace (3)

“You worthless vermin!” Hishimit Kritz shouted. “What do you think you’re doing?”

The Constellation no longer spoke through Patricia’s marionette. Hundreds of dolls beyond the glass walls instead surrounded me and cried out in unison. Their shouts seemed to tear the sky apart.

“Even if you destroy me with your strength, do you think my existence will fade? I’m the master of all secrets! I gave you the problem, and you accepted it! This is also a duel. A duel! Do you understand? Even if your pathetic sword shatters the glass and tears the ground, the problem will still remain unsolved! The Gordian knot approach will not be recognized! Never! Wait and see. The judge will ultimately declare my victo—”

I turned my sword.“I’m not Alexander. But I do have a proper answer for your question.”

The sword, already deeply embedded in the ground, let out a deafening sound.

Craaaaaaack!

Spiderweb-like cracks spread out, starting from the impact point. When I turned the sword slightly, cracks spread even further in the blink of an eye.

“A-answer? What are you talking about? Stop! Stop it! What you’re using is violence! Violence! Do you hear me? Violence! You...!”

“Fine. If you keep insisting, I’ll give you the answer we both know,” I replied.

Finding Hishimit Kritz’s true form in the glass palace was my quest on the sixty-third floor. As soon as I heard what my task was—no, even before—I only had two things on my mind.

“From the beginning, I thought it would be either the sky or the ground.”

“What?” the Constellation asked.

“Simple. You’re controlling all these dolls, so the moment I’m killed by any one of them, I’m going to see your trauma, Hishimit Kritz.” A half-smile flickered over my face. “That’s what you really want, isn’t it? You claim to know all the secrets and be an expert in labyrinths, and you also designed my trauma penalty, too. I don’t know exactly how you did it, but one thing is certain: your trauma is an extremely difficult labyrinth to escape.”

“

Eeek! Eeek!

”

Right. The dolls were all just bait. Logically speaking, it was impossible to find Hishimit Kritz’s true form among the countless dolls spread out on this entire floor. Only by using my illogical skill, the

Returner’s Clockwork,

could I find it. By entering the trauma and witnessing Hishimit Kritz’s past, I would naturally learn about the Constellation, understand their habits and tendencies, and intuitively locate where they were hiding.

“A pity,” I muttered. “I’m not stupid enough to challenge you in your domain!”

Therefore, my trauma penalty was the fastest shortcut, the only key on this floor, and the most dangerous trap.

“All the dolls are bait! The reason you exposed Patricia’s secret was to tempt me to get hotheaded and take the easiest shortcut! Had I not met my fox god on the sixty-first floor and fallen into three layers of dreams, I might have overlooked the danger of trauma!”

I already knew how dangerous a Constellation’s trauma was since I had spent half of Raviel’s and Teacher’s lives. The gap between the sixty-first and sixty-third floors was too short to forget that lesson.

“Bad timing, Snake God!”

The cracks in the ground grew wider, widening into gaps, which soon split open into large crevices. If they widened just a little more, they would become fissures leading to an abyss. If a few more seconds passed, they would become cliffs overlooking a gorge. A tremor shook the ground like an earthquake.

“And you were stupid!” I shouted.

“Didn’t you hear me when I told you to stop? You... You bastard! Even if a human is incapable of listening to other humans, you can’t ignore a Constellation’s words! Listen to me!”

“You can control all the dolls and make their mouths move! No matter where you are or what kind of doll they are, you can control them all as you please. That means you’re either above, where all the dolls can see you, or below, where you support all the dolls!”

The ground split open.

“Listen to me!” the Constellation screamed.

“I’ll tell you the answer to your riddle! This ground on which this glass palace stands is your true form!”

The glass exhibition hall shattered.

“The ground of this world is your hide! No, your skin!”

As I felt the earthquake grow stronger, I recalled what I had noticed immediately after falling into the labyrinth.

The ground was made of wood—a wooden floor with a swirling pattern resembling snake scales.

Every mystery came with a hint. The fact that the pattern of the ground I stood on happened to resemble snake scales could simply be seen as decoration befitting the world of a snake god. Or it could be interpreted as the old skin shed by a snake as vast as the world itself.

“Acknowledge my answer, Constellation of Labyrinth!”

The dolls displayed in the exhibition hall fell into the crevices, too. The aquariums and white glass shards fell like petals. Hundreds of thousands of wooden dolls rained down like tree branches.

“I will expose your secret!” I shouted again.

“

Ugh!

”

“‘I am here!’” I yelled.

Labyrinth-Dwelling Eye, Hishmit Kritz—their true identity was Jormungandr. The Constellation was a monster so enormous that they could devour an entire world. They wrapped around the edges of the world and bit their own tail, forming an entire world.

“I am the winner of this duel!”

The Constellation kept groaning. The ground soon collapsed. The old skin, vast and thick enough to be mistaken for the ground itself, was being torn apart.

“Y-you bast—”

Under the torn skin, there was only endless darkness. It was a deep sea without water, so one could not swim in this universe where the laws of physics didn’t apply. The bottom of the inside of the eggshell, which was endlessly deep, was supposed to be hidden from sight for all eternity.

“You! You! You, Death King! How... How dare you! I am Hishimit Kritz!”

There was a snake there. They filled up the entire deep sea and covered the entire universe. When the snake opened their mouth, they revealed a hellish abyss.

[The Labyrinth-Dwelling Eye has appeared.]

Only two eyes could be seen. Glowing with crimson hatred, the eyes with dark sclerae were the only light illuminating the depths of the sea.

Using the skin they had shed long ago, they had created an outer layer and used it to form a wall of this circular world, where no light was allowed except for their own gaze. This was likely the deepest palace in the universe. It was also precisely the reason the Constellation was called the Labyrinth-Dwelling Eye.

Anyone could build this palace in their mind and become the sole king reigning on their throne. This world was where the Constellation was the king but could rule only themself. The great monster roared like an old tyrant coiled up in a palace without subjects.

The serpent struck me with their tail, which was immeasurably thick.

“You’re just a human who rose to power by flattering Hamustra!”

However, the tail was probably physically nonexistent. This was the very depth of Hishimit Kritz’s palace and mind[1], their core. In the world they had created, the Constellation was the only existence. The vastness of this abyss was not a terrifying majesty, but rather a core that had to be cut down. Therefore, I did what I had to do.

“

Ah!

How light! The Viper’s sword swing was so small that it couldn’t take up more space than a line under the sky, but it was a thousand times stronger than your tail!”

My one sword strike cut down Jormungandr’s tail. Their blood spattered and spread in an infinite red tide, enough to dye the whole world red. Though it lasted for only a second, a crimson sunset shone in the deep sea. Screams filled the blood-red waves.

My fox god, wrapped around my neck, let out a small cry. “

Peep.

”

[Your Exclusive Music Box has assigned you a quest.]

As I fell down, Jormungandr stayed coiled at the bottom. Grains of sand formed letters.

God of Exuviae

Difficulty Level: S—

Goal: Defeat Hishimit Kritz, the ruler of the sixty-third floor. The Labyrinth-Dwelling Eye has exposed your comrades and insulted your honor.

※ If Hishimit Kritz kills you even once, you will lose.

“So that’s why serving a Constellation is convenient!” I laughed.

“

Peeeeep.

”

“Why did I insist on not serving a Constellation?”

Swooosh—!

I continued to slice through the serpent’s attacks without even bothering to dodge their attacks. Even as Hishimit Kritz relentlessly shook their tail to strike, bite with their fangs, and spit poison from their mouth, I did not flinch and met every blow head-on.

“

Guh... Eeeek! Eeek! Aaaaaaah!

”

Their blood spurted out every time I swung my sword. The darkness of the deep sea absorbed the crimson sunset.

“

Aaah! Aaah! Aaaaaaah!

”

In a world that should have been absolute, an echo of overlapping screams rang out endlessly, like waves crashing against a cliff by the sea.

[The Labyrinth-Dwelling Eye’s presence has weakened.]

Like waves carving away at the surrounding rocks...

Craaaack, crack!

... the serpent’s screams caused small cracks to appear in the surrounding eggshell.

“

Aaaaaaah!

”

Though the world was wide enough to hold one’s heart, it was far too weak to endure one’s own screams.

[The Labyrinth-Dwelling Eye’s presence has weakened.]

After all, all palaces were destined for destruction, just as every dynasty was meant to end.

[The Labyrinth-Dwelling Eye’s presence has weakened.]

The palace was built by the tyrant named Hishimit Kritz. The Labyrinth-Dwelling Eye’s kingdom—surrounded by the walls of dolls and the pillars of human secrets—was now reaching its end.

“

Ugh... Uh...

” the serpent groaned softly. “Everything... I’ll expose everything...”

This place was no longer an abyss that refused to have an end. Light seeped through cracks that split the place like wounds. Bathed in a light even more sinister than the shadows, Jormungandr shrank to the size of a somewhat big snake.

“If you attack me again, I’ll reveal that you are a regressor... not only in the world you live in, but also to your comrades, your son, your daughter. That won’t be the end... Everywhere my Faith reaches! Every world will know! Yes, the entire Tower will know your secret! I’ll expose everything. The moment I am wounded any further will be the day you fall. Do you understand? You know what I’m talking about, don’t you? All of your successes will be dismissed as the result of regression. People will disregard every drop of the blood you’ve shed so far. No one will respect you. Your blood, your time, your dedication—everything will be treated as if it never existed. Do you know that?”

The snake was tiny now. All they could do was inflict wounds with their words.

“Are you really aware of my power’s true potential?” the Constellation screamed.

A stone lying on the road. A knife that happened to be within reach. A piece of metal. The wounds were no different from those things that could inflict harm. They were still real wounds, but they would remain a piece of metal forever.

“Do it. I have Raviel, my family, and my friends. Just as I’m staying by Patricia’s side even after learning her secret, she’ll do the same for me. While you played with eternity here, I gained people by shedding blood.”

The amount of blood I had shed wasn’t little or thin. All the blood I had shed was a share of true red.

“Hishimit Kritz,” I said.

“

Ugh... uhhh...

”

“I’ll cut you down.”

I raised my sword without saying another word.

As if they were already being torn apart, the snake screamed, “T-then, how about this! I’ll keep the secret about your regression Skill. No one, absolutely no one, will ever know it thanks to my power of secrecy! I will forever hide it deep within my skin. How about that? Isn’t it enough to satisfy—”

I raised my sword higher.

“I-is that not enough?” You, you...! When you entered Hamustra’s holy ground, you used my blessing, yes? How was it? Wasn’t it convenient? What if you can use this blessing limitlessly? How does that sound?!”

I raised my sword all the way up.

“That’s not all! My life is as long as my body! My power runs just as deep! I can give you more power. I can! I, Hishimit Kritz, can do exactly that!”

I paused for a moment.

“Let’s talk! Yeah, talk! Intelligent beings should settle things with words, not fists! Come on! Let’s come to an agreement and resolve this situation wisely. Come on, y-you rascal! Young Constellation—no, Great Constellation! Sir Gong-Ja, just listen to me for one goddamn mom—”

I swung my sword. The next moment, the world split in two with a tearing scream.

1. This is based on the sounds of Korean words. The depth of a place is called 심처(深處), and where one's mind rests can also be called 심처(心處). ☜