Antagonist Protection Service

Chapter 259: Antagonist of Earth (4)

[Floor 31]

Thus far, after escaping the Dungeon of the Floors 11 through 13, many of the environments of the Floors since had been unique, or otherwise simply the sort of place I hadn’t much experience traversing.

Further than that, I would say around half of the Floors in the Tower so far contained environments I had already experienced in one form or another in the initial Tutorial Floors.

Dungeons, forests and jungles made up a good portion of it, but then there were those I had only encountered in Illusory Worlds.

Mountains, of which I had only ever climbed one―namely, the place a certain dragon tribe had declared its home.

Although that mountain was quite the trek to ascend indeed, particularly for my tremendously weak self at the time, it wasn’t all that bad if compared to what climbing a real mountain would be like, I suppose in part due to necessitating the Protagonist’s ability to scale and descend it numerous times.

In any case, it meant the mountains of the Tower were ever more enervating to deal with.

Aside from those environments, as was mentioned previously, there were the antithetical valleys; large canyons that, although not perhaps as claustrophobic as the dungeons or underground Floors for some, were yet rather linear in terms of the path forward, as well as a surprising amount of wetlands; Floors taking place in vast marshes, deep swamps, or ominous, foggy bogs.

Relative to all of that, the first Floor following the secondary Hub of the thirtieth was quite new… Albeit, not if you included the Tutorial.

Because, after all, maybe it was just cheaper for Leinth Eupraxia to recycle old content.

To put it simply, it was another desert.

‘Hm…’

Recalling the Objective from the Sixth Floor and comparing it to this, it really puts into perspective just how much the Tower was expecting you to have grown.

Needless to say, I had also grown since that time, but not due to any help from the Tower or my supposed ‘awakened abilities’.

So, from the Sixth to the Thirty-First――How much more difficult would it be, exactly?

[Objective: Survive]

Unexpectedly, it was the same. Just, without the three day time limit.

Of course, as Leinth explained, the Tower was required to at least ensure that clearing it was ‘possible’ for the level that the average Awakened would be at by the time they reached a particular Floor.

That didn’t mean she would hold back on making it as legally difficult as she could for those who challenged it, just that it couldn’t be impossible.

So then. Was this really the same Objective as back then?

‘Hah… How could it be…’

Watching quite literally countless mummified undead emerge from the endless sea of surrounding sand, the blistering personification of the heavens beating down on the world from high above, it certainly appeared similar to the tale my memory told at first.

However, I slowly began to realise.

“Uh…”

Rumble~~!

――As dozens of bandage-wrapped titans arose in the distance on all sides, each easily surpassing the height that it wouldn’t even be surprising if they would pluck the hard-stuck Sun out of the sky at any moment, the Floor made its message clear.

“Tch…”

‘Do not dare to underestimate me’.

❖─────★★★★☆─────❖

While climbing the Tower, I had subconsciously grown used to withholding the full extent of power that I was capable of demonstrating.

The reason for that, to put it bluntly, is that I was never alone.

Not that I didn’t want to climb the Tower fast―obviously I did, and I also told myself I wouldn’t hold anything back… Well, that was pretty much a lie. Anyway, the problem was the constant presences of Nina and Cassano.

Many of my usual cards, the Black Wisp, the White Death, and the Holy Sword, were all things I firmly decided to keep hidden up my sleeve.

Again―not that I didn’t particularly trust them. I climbed almost twenty entire Floors with them by my side, after all, covering my back at every step of the way and letting us support each other with our own strengths and weaknesses. Hell, I even revealed my real identity to them, even if they wouldn’t be able to recognise me quite the same with the Villain’s Vizard equipped.

But, well, there were a few contingencies I had to take.

The Black Wisp and White Death――it never was necessary for me to wield them in the first place, what with a highly skilled archer on our team. Cassano could also fight from afar with his bursts of white fire, especially after its intensity had been upped by an easy order of magnitude since we started climbing.

I hid the existence of those because, one, using them wasn’t necessary, and two, it was simply a smart idea to ensure not all of your cards were revealed, right?

If, for whatever reason, either of those two ever turned on me, wouldn’t they be stuck under the assumption that I had no way of reaching them from afar? That I possessed no method of attacking from a distance?

It was simply a correct decision, but that wasn’t all.

Perhaps more in a way that could be said to be more a product of overthinking than anything else, I also refrained from revealing the Holy Sword.

In addition to that likewise not being necessary to use when I had the Villainous Blade, an undeniable reason for me not using it was because its existence was already known to the world.

To be more precise, there were already people who had seen the Holy Sword with their own eyes, and they knew that ‘Enki Valentine’ was its wielder.

There really should be no reason for it whatsoever.

And it was even less likely thanks to the Holy Sword having both awakened and evolved to take on a new form as the Divine Sword of the Winter Moon.

Nevertheless, despite all that.

That did not mean it was ‘impossible’.

So, even if it was purely for the sake of soothing my own paranoia, I hid its existence too.

‘That’s no longer necessary.’

Now that I was back to clearing the Tower on my own, all I had to do was be mindful of any other Challengers attempting the same Floors as me, although I didn’t think that’d be much of a concern this high up.

In any case, now, the restraints are finally off.

Now, on this Floor that just so happened to fit pretty much perfectly with how I wanted to do things, I could finally speed things up a bit.

Summoning the Divine Sword from Storage and dismissing the Villainous Blade, I grasped the icy hilt with one hand and used the other to hold partway up the length of the blade, raising it horizontally before me.

Then, without any slightest hesitation, I evoked all the Winter Mother’s divine energy I could muster, far surpassing the minimal amount I had been using until this point to counteract the detriment of Mana Corruption, and channelling it all into the Holy Sword in my grasp.

Without a shadow of doubt, I would need to take a while to rest after this, but that was fine.

I was already planning on taking a short break anyway, so this would just save me time in the long run.

“…Haaaaah…”

Glimpsing a cloud of white, frosty mist drift out from under the sides of the Villain’s Vizard in the corner of my vision, I repositioned the sword as if readying myself to swing.

Before me, and all around me, a seemingly infinite amount of undead were swarming.

Colossal titans of the same in the distance, blocking the horizon like living skyscrapers.

Underneath this sweltering sun, crawling atop the endless ocean of orange, scorching sands, they all ever-so-slowly approached.

The final glows of the dazzling world, bleached with amber, appeared to pause, for just a moment.

And then.

“…”

In a single instant, it all changed.

‘――Moonlight Thule.’

With one, almost gentle movement of my body, the Divine Sword moved, carving a graceful arc of white fog throughout the air, so incomparably frigid that it seemed to freeze even the space through which it travelled.

Before the blade reached its final destination, there was a sudden, wintry blast, one that blinded the world, one that silenced the world, one that scrapped the canvas and painted it anew.

Thereafter, all was devoured by the essence of winter.