Chapter 709
The Twelve Zodiac.
They were the third force that ruled the 47th Floor, the uppermost section of the Tower of Trials.
There were many closed-off factions within the Tower, but even among them, the Twelve Zodiac were an exception among exceptions, with the least contact with the outside world.
Even if they ever moved, the most they did was show up in small, inconspicuous events.
And yet now, they had broken the seal that had kept them shut away for hundreds of years and had officially intervened in outside affairs.
“You… why are you here…?”
Berial drew out [Black Spear Kishan].
“…Now that’s a rare guest.”
“Looks like she’s alone?”
“Don’t tell me… without that monster too?”
The Egyptian divinities each threw in a comment of their own while carefully scanning the surroundings.
If there was one fortunate thing, it was this.
There was only a single mana presence being detected.
Cheongha, queen of the Rabbit clan, one of the Twelve Zodiac.
The girl with long rabbit ears brushed the blood off her legs.
She had shown fairly powerful martial arts, but they had only been used to subdue them. None of the soldiers had actually lost their lives.
“I didn’t come here to fight. I’m not even specialized in combat. But isn’t it a bit much to start swinging such vicious weapons at me right away? Especially against someone as delicate as I am.”
“Cut the bullshit. You’re covered in blood and your eyes are bloodshot red, so where do you get off acting cute? State your business before I turn you into skewers.”
Berial took a stance as if he were about to hurl his spear.
Setting everything else aside, being interrupted by a third party right before a crucial final battle irritated him to no end.
“Hmm. Are you really going to throw that spear at me? With skills so lacking that you still can’t even swallow up the Demon Realm?”
Kwaaaang!
The black spear split the air.
Along with a terrifying shriek of tearing wind, Cheongha’s side was dyed in black flames.
“The queen of those cowardly rabbits has gotten way too full of herself. You look like you’d fall over from a tap. Should I just call in a turtle from the Dragon Palace for you?”
Berial growled.
It was an undeniable fact that the Twelve Zodiac ruled the uppermost floors of the Tower.
But that was not because the Twelve Zodiac as a whole had overwhelming combat power. It was because two overwhelmingly powerful kings existed among them.
And among them, Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, was strong enough to instantly beat even most chief deities to death.
So if not them, but Rabbit Queen Cheongha had come alone, then it meant she herself posed no real threat.
“As expected, bluffing doesn’t work on an old Demon King.”
Cheongha’s ears twitched.
“That’s enough greeting. Say why you came. I don’t have the luxury to waste attention elsewhere right now.”
“You know how the Tower’s been noisy lately for all kinds of reasons? Even those so-called Primordial Beings that absolutely should’ve stayed put got their heavy asses up. So even among us Twelve Zodiac, we’re trying to stop shutting ourselves in on one floor and come outside to find some suitable allies.”
“…What?”
Berial’s pupils widened sharply.
When Cheongha first appeared, he had assumed she had simply wandered out because she was bored.
Because given the nature of the Twelve Zodiac, there was no way they would ever join hands with another force.
But the current situation was unfolding in a way completely outside the bounds of normalcy.
Cheongha continued.
“The problem is deciding who to join hands with… and everyone’s divided on that. It’s been a real headache. Because of that, there was a pretty big conflict. Some of the kings even ended up becoming enemies.”
The 47th Floor had split apart.
Those bastards who had always moved as one solid force under the name of Sun Wukong.
How much of what Cheongha was saying was true would have to be thoroughly verified later, but if her words were true, then it meant a major variable had appeared—one that could overturn the balance of the entire Tower.
“So… the great Rabbit Queen has chosen us?”
“Yeah. Because you’re connected to Kang Jinhyuk too. Not just our Rabbit clan. A few other kings think the same way.”
“It’s not a bad proposal. If we’re combining forces as equals.”
“Pfft. As equals?”
Cheongha let out a snort.
Then she crooked a finger as if to say not a chance.
“Even in an alliance, there’s still a clear hierarchy. You’re the ones coming under us. We won’t be sitting at the same table as equals.”
“And if we refuse?”
“If you refuse, then we might join your enemies instead. If it comes to that, we could even crush this entire war to pieces.”
Her tone went beyond confidence and was close to certainty.
Berial’s head spun through every possible scenario.
If the kings Cheongha was referring to were just a collection of nobodies, then it didn’t matter. But if the Great Sage Equal to Heaven or the Bull Demon King was among them…
‘That could turn into something impossible to handle.’
This was not something that could be decided lightly. Depending on what he said, he could end up placing a tremendous burden on the alliance.
“Before making a decision, would it be alright if I discuss it with Kang Jinhyuk first? One way or another, that brat is acting as the leader of our alliance.”
“I can grant you that much. But I’ll only give you exactly three days.”
No matter how fast things went, the war against Lucifer could not be wrapped up within three days. It was a move to block any attempt to stall for time in advance.
“…Understood.”
Berial gave a heavy nod.
===
Gray repeated Jinhyuk’s words to himself once more.
“So… he learned the draw-sword technique….”
“Yeah. We did save Mayer-ssi’s life, but if you think about it another way, you could also say Mayer-ssi saved ours. We built up some camaraderie in that short time too. Once he regains his senses, ask him yourself.”
Jinhyuk’s eyes reddened slightly.
As if it mattered. After reading the Necronomicon, Mayer was never going to regain his sanity again anyway. No matter what Jinhyuk said, Gray had no way of confirming whether it was true.
“I see. Fine. For now, I understand.”
The tense atmosphere eased as Gray withdrew his mana.
If Gray had seen the eyes of the companions behind Jinhyuk, filled with revulsion and contempt, he might have made a very different decision.
But with his attention entirely captured by the Jinhyuk in front of him and the draw-sword technique, there was no way Gray could catch details that subtle.
Right then—
“They said his unique ability might actually be his tongue, and I guess that was true. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Gray-ssi get pushed around like this before.”
“He’s definitely stronger than expected. Even if Gray held back appropriately, she still blocked an EX-rank strike.”
“So there was a reason Director Seo Jeonghee bothered to call even us in. He’s a troublesome enemy in a completely different way.”
New figures stepped in from the side opposite Gray.
They were the high rankers Jang Bo-kyung and the others who had taken on Seo Jeonghee’s request.
“Hehe. So that is Teresa.”
Among them were also the Vatican hounds bearing red crosses.
Naturally, everyone’s attention was fixed on Teresa.
Because among the small force known as Veteran Corporation, Teresa was the one with the highest name value.
The pillar of House Laurentia who had saved Amsterdam.
If there was a single obstacle standing in their way, it would be this blonde saintess.
“So it’s Seo Jeonghee again.”
Jinhyuk shook his head from side to side as if he were sick of it.
It wasn’t like he was even dealing with some third-rate villain.
Take one down, and another kept popping out.
Enough that it felt like unless he tore out the roots, this could keep going all the way to Season 10.
Jang Bo-kyung pointed at Jinhyuk.
“Gray-ssi. That man is a criminal and a fraud who threatened not only you, but also Titan Guild, Director Seo Jeonghee, and many others.”
That’s a bit harsh for a first meeting.
But since every word of it was basically true, there wasn’t really anything that came to mind to correct.
“I’ll decide after Mayer wakes up and I hear it from him directly.”
“After he wakes up? Can’t you see the condition he’s in right now? The possibility that he’ll ever regain his sanity—”
“Shut up! Didn’t I say I’d decide after hearing it from him myself!”
Gray unleashed his mana.
Rumble rumble rumble!
The killing intent of an EX-rank player.
As Gray’s unique ability activated, several beasts rose up along the shadows. All of them were divine beasts and mythical beasts that served as Gray’s limbs.
“Men are always so damn stubborn….”
Jang Bo-kyung pouted and pulled out a long needle engraved with a water droplet pattern.
The other high rankers following her showed no sign of backing down either.
Just before a battle was about to break out between top-tier monsters—
“Given the situation, everyone seems a little on edge, but how about we stop here for now? As that young man said, you need to survive first if you want a chance to settle your respective interests, don’t you? And considering the many people waiting for us outside, I don’t think causing internal conflict would be a wise choice.”
Nkrumah of Shuja Guild calmed down the flames that had nearly flared out of control.
In particular, the greatest effect came from his remark implying that people were watching from outside.
Because image was the top priority every guild cared about most.
“Right. Getting out comes first.”
“I agree.”
“We’ve already gathered everything we need.”
They had secured the Book of Light and the Book of Darkness that the explorers had asked for.
With those two items, the time had come to head toward the final gate.
The heavy atmosphere slowly began to liven up.
Because the hope of survival had begun to feel a little more real.
For one person alone—
‘Hmm. Given the structure here, it shouldn’t be that simple. Wonder how this turns out?’
Jinhyuk was smiling in a completely different way, as if he found it all highly entertaining.
How much time passed like that?
“These letters….”
“No. This is the right way to interpret them.”
“What are you talking about? My interpretation rank is 5 stars.”
“And you’re bragging with just 5 stars? Who here hasn’t raised it at least that high?”
Voices rose among the explorers.
Because they disagreed on how exactly the two books should be interpreted. Since everyone insisted that they were right, even the raid leaders of each guild found it difficult to make a decision.
Because through everything they had experienced so far, they had learned painfully well just how dangerous this labyrinth was.
While everyone was wrestling with that issue, Jinhyuk was looking around various parts of the Great Ramses Temple.
‘They really did build this ridiculously well.’
At a point some distance away from the raid party, Jinhyuk touched one side of a pillar.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that the perfection of it all had completely Outbreak’d the entire labyrinth. If the system had not intervened, it was hard to believe this level of craftsmanship was even possible.
It didn’t seem like the work of the Outer Gods, whose specialty was just destroying things with brute force. At the same time, it also didn’t match the style of ‘that man,’ who was meticulous and struck from unexpected blind spots.
There was only one possible answer.
The Elder Gods.
There was no doubt that they, too, had begun moving in earnest.
‘I should make sure the preparations are solid first.’
What made this event useful in many ways was that it provided the perfect environment for laying down several pieces of groundwork for the future.
[Anubis’s Blessing is activated!]
A broad wave spread out along the pillar.
The wave resonated in a disorderly way like sheet music on a piano, producing a beautiful harmony.
And then—
Rumble!
An orange-glowing item rose from the pile of dirt.
[You have obtained the ‘Pheromone of the Red Legion Ants’.]
Jinhyuk rummaged through the bundle of paper.
‘The Book of Darkness.’
It was a kind of summary booklet that had separately recorded only the important contents, but thanks to choosing the [Sigil of Scales], even just having the core details written down allowed him to easily locate the hidden items tucked away all over the temple.
Next—
[Zodiac Constellations ‘Last Seat of Aquarius’ unfolds.]
Beautiful fragments of stars melted into the dirt.
Little by little, across the entire Tower.
He was engraving the energy of the stars in scattered portions.
As part of dozens of preparations to deal with Azathoth.
But right then.
Some of the spreading waves disappeared at a certain point.
“…Hm?”
Jinhyuk’s eyes narrowed.
Because under normal circumstances, it was impossible for the waves of a special barrier created by mixing seven spells to vanish.
Something was hidden there.
The moment he thought that, his body moved first.
9-star [Beyond the Shadows], 9-star [Multidimensional Veil], 9-star [Where the Wind Whispers].
As the three high-level barriers overlapped, a two-meter-wide fissure was discovered in seemingly empty space.
And around that fissure, words floated up—words that were on an entirely different level from ancient runes.
No way.
The suspicion immediately turned into certainty.
It was a language he had seen before.
A domain of the unknown whose end he still had yet to fully comprehend.
The Lost Language.