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89.15% Lord of Mysteries:Fire of Destruction / Chapter 375: Chapter 36: The Tower

章節 375: Chapter 36: The Tower

The woman Adryan assumed to be Flora blinked, clearly still a little lost.

Unable to help himself, the red-haired man chuckled a little, smiling at the woman. "Why, Miss Worm, I must say that even though you are an old woman, you really are beautiful!"

The woman's somewhat lost eyes immediately sharpened in righteous fury. The woman's hands grabbed the man's shirt and pulled him closer to her until their noses were almost touching.

"Call me old again, princess, and I swear-" Her blazing fire died as she suddenly ran out of gas, drying up at the sight of the big grin on his face above her.

On top of her! Not how she usually saw him as a spirit, but on top of her!

A strange sensation in her fingertips caused her to look down. She saw the shirt crumpled between her fingers. Squeezing a little tighter at the cottony sensation, she looked at her hands in astonishment. They were not the ugly pink four-digit ones she had become accustomed to seeing but her delicate five-digit human hands!

She got her body back!

'It's impossible! My condition was only slightly better than before. Recovering my body would have taken decades at that rate...'

Feeling her own body in a long time, her eyes widened in shock.

"What is this?" she mumbled, but her voice was interrupted by the sudden voice of her charger, who had brought his face close to her ear.

"Sorry to disturb your rejuvenation time, but we have an audience in case you've forgotten. Can you walk?" Looking at the stares he was getting, Adryan could only sigh a little.

Was his body so comfortable that Flora forgot where they were now?

It took a few seconds for her to respond, but the white-haired woman slightly nodded. Her look had recovered, but she still had a hint of disbelief.

With that permission, Adryan lowered her to her feet but didn't let go; instead, he grabbed her hand and waited for her to find her balance.

The white-haired woman snorted slightly but allowed herself to be helped. Once she found her footing, she let go of the man's hand, giving him a side eye and then looked at the rest of those present with suspicion.

Considering her next move, she was somewhat surprised when the red-haired man stepped in front of her, covering her with his larger body.

"Remember how I said it was likely that someone else would join us?" Adryan asked with slightly raised lips, "I was referring to her."

"I don't need you to babysit me, Princess." The white-haired woman huffed, her brow furrowed into a grimace of annoyance.

Adryan's lips twitched slightly.

'Miss Worm, this is not the time to play hard to get.' He gave her a flat look, already somewhat expecting that reaction but still finding it ridiculous.

Someone unknown appearing in front of a group of experienced Beyonders the way she had?

She would have been attacked instantly!

The only reason that didn't happen was because the rest were busy recovering from the Sequence Suppression to do something, and he had been quicker to catch up with her.

Sharron and Maric looked at each other, somewhat dazed and confused. They didn't understand where she had come from or how she had gotten here, but seeing the familiarity with which their boss interacted with her, they didn't comment much; they just watched.

Uron was the most stunned, his eyebrows raised in surprise and bewilderment. His gaze focused on the new guest who had appeared almost out of nowhere.

From Reader of Sequence 9, beyonders on this path gain the Eye of the Reader, an ability that facilitates the gathering and analysis of information they can observe. As the sequences progress, this ability strengthens, allowing them to analyze Beyonder's abilities and find their weaknesses.

There were also several additional ways to use it, such as watching an area for any abnormalities. This helped in performing rituals, spells, and magic to find mistakes and avoid accidents.

Being the Mysticism Magister of Sequence 5, he had failed to detect someone even when using the Eye of the Reader!

As an experienced Wise Owl, Uron regained control and took a more serious look at the larger group before him. Internally, he decided to take what Adryan Kenway said more seriously.

'I have to ignore the tone he's speaking in. It may sound like he's telling a joke worse than Jhona's, but he's revealing true information... What a curious method of deception, using humor and tone to make the person you're talking to think you're just talking rubbish when you're telling truths... Brilliant!'

Squinting slightly, Uron questioned: "Mr. Adryan, could you introduce us to your... friend?"

She had to be unique to have passed through all the temple's security means without being discovered.

'A Secret Sorcerer perhaps? No, even for them, bypassing all the security measures would be impossible...' As his advanced but suppressed mind tried to give the woman an identity, Adryan looked at the white-haired woman beside him and smiled.

Knowing that smile better than anyone, she was about to stop him by silencing his mouth, her hands already in motion, but as always, his lips were quicker than hers.

"This is Abigail. My wife." The redhead said, smiling.

"We're not married!" Flushed with fury and indignation, Flora could only do the next best thing she could think of: clench her fist, which connected with the man's side.

pu...

"Ah, not here, my dear. There are people present." Adryan groaned a little at the blow, highly amused at what was happening though highly surprised.

While it seemed like the blow would have more force when it touched him, it merely felt as if Flora had caressed him with her fist.

'Non-violence rule?' Adryan wondered internally as he tore his gaze away from Flora and focused on the rest.

The Goth Duo looked rather lost and confused while Uron looked away uncomfortably.

'Of course, the nerd would be uncomfortable.' The redhead rolled his eyes a little internally.

Snorting a little, the woman moved to Adryan's right side, an annoyed expression on his face.

"Ignore what the Princess says. He looks smart, but he's a severely mentally retarded monkey. I am Flora, his companion." She fixed her hair a little, tucking it behind her ear.

"And may I ask why we were not informed of the existence of this companion, Mr. Kenway?" Uron asked calmly while looking at him.

"Because it wasn't necessary," Adryan replied, a bored expression on his face.

"Excuse me?" Uron narrowed his eyes, his tone a little more serious.

Adryan did not care how the man, who was, in a way, his superior, was looking at him. He closed his eyes in disinterest as he rolled his shoulders.

"Mr. Uron, I'll keep it simple for you to understand. The situation with Flora is rather peculiar. You need not worry about her causing trouble."

"I'm afraid that's not the case, Mr. Kenway. The Church must be aware of every member you brought into the country. You are not in a place to do as you please without informing the Church first-"

"The situation with Flora is a matter for the Scarlet Monarch." Adryan cut in a soft voice without opening his eyes. The Wise Owl's mouth immediately snapped shut, his eyes wide open.

Then, the red-haired man opened his eyes, which glowed cold as a blade. "If that is not enough to know that you should not inquire further, then you are not a Wise Owl but a Foolish Pigeon."

The expression broke a little, but with his experience, the man recovered and nodded solemnly.

"I understand."

The sentence that every Beyonder knew echoed loudly in the minds of all present.

<Do not meddle in God's affairs>.

Unconsciously, Flora clenched her fist slightly. Still remembering clearly the first time she had seen 'Him.'

Considering that the situation had been resolved, Adryan took a better look around with a raised eyebrow.

They were now in a 'room' with black ceramic floors. It had no walls or ceiling; instead, a thick grey fog enclosed them in a capsule.

"I doubt this is the Tower," Adryan asked, returning his attention to Uron, who nodded.

"This isn't the Tower; we're in the antechamber right now." Wanting to put the subject behind him, Uron wasted no time explaining.

"How familiar are you all with the Tower?"

"Just the basics. A structure somewhere in the Spirit or Astral World that is divided into floors and whose entrance appears at timed intervals, and you can only find it if someone who already has the compass takes you there or if you're unlucky. How do the rewards and floor levels work." Adryan replied, extremely curious about what the Church of Wisdom might know.

Uron nodded, his face returning to its usual expressionless expression. "Then you already know almost everything we know about it regarding what it is."

Adryan was surprised at this. "Wait. The Church doesn't know what it is either?"

"No one knows what the Tower is, Mr. Kenway." Uron shook his head. Disappointment was evident on his face.

"If we were to put someone from the Fourth Epoch with everything they knew about the Tower with someone from the present with the same characteristics in the same room and set them to argue about the information each has. The difference would only be a few short sentences." Then the man snorted ungraciously and added. "We don't even know if it has an ending."

'A little emotional there, Mate.' Adryan looked flatly at the man who, realizing his mistake, coughed a little.

"If you have any questions, wait until I'm done to express them, or if you like, raise your hand." Seeing that no one said more, the man nodded and began.

"The entrance to the tower opens every so often, and once it opens, you can only climb one floor at a time. The time between openings is variable; it can be a few weeks or even months. It used to be years, but it hasn't been for a while now. The place is also always different from the previous one.

"The only sure way to find the entrances is through 'compasses' provided by the tower." Uron then held up his hand, showing the tattoo that still glowed faintly purple.

"This is the compass; by means yet unknown to us, it will always point to the next entrance along with the exact time, place, and moment it will open. Attempts have been made to replicate it, but all attempts have failed."

A pale hand was raised.

"What is your query, miss?"

"Is the tattoo necessary? Is there no other way?" Sharron asked.

"The compass has to be attached to the skin, to the body. It functions not only as a guide but also as protection from the journey. We tried to enter the tower using the compass and using crumbs to follow its path, but the seeker never returned.

"It's not permanent. You can remove it if you wish; it's just a matter of saying so. Besides, it only takes one of you to have it to make the journey safe; the rest can refuse it."

Sharron nodded softly at the answer, satisfied.

'Is there something in the temperance faction that makes tattoos frowned upon? What are they, Catholic?' Adryan looked curiously at the little ghost, and after a moment's consideration, he gave a slight nod.

'If the Rose School is different from the original story, then there is no one better to ask than the members of the Temperance Faction, who have been in an internal war with the Indulgence Faction...'

His company was already making a small profit and the mess left by the previous owner was mostly sorted out along with the Fors problem, Adryan could now finally afford to have a deeper talk with the gothic duo.

Seeing that there were no more questions, Uron continued with his explanation.

"Next are the zones."

"First is the area where we are, the anteroom. As you may have noticed, violence is forbidden here. We can't hurt each other or attack each other.

"We advance a little further and will be in front of the Tower. There is nothing to mention there, only that if you try to go beyond the marked path, you will come out in some random part of the world, so stay on the path.

"Once inside the Tower, there will be a meeting point where more people will start climbing the Tower. The non-violence rule also applies there; as long as you are not on the floors, you cannot attack or harm another. There, you will get the compass I mentioned earlier.

Uron paused momentarily, and seeing that no one said anything, he just continued.

"Finally, there are the floors themselves. While we don't know how many there are, we know the types. First of all, all floors are different; you will never face the same challenge that you have already faced in a previous one.

"There are so many types of challenges that it would be impossible to count them all. Sometimes it defeats a monster; sometimes, it acts like a mental freak. The variety is so great that explaining it is a waste of time.

"Finally, there is the escape system. If required, one can leave the floor they are on whenever they want, but if they use that escape, they will be forced to complete that floor to advance."

'Is this the case of Professor's Syndrome? Edwina also had the same problem, giving lectures and exams to her crew...' Unable to avoid making the comparison, Adryan just stood quietly and listened to the rich explanation.

His eyes moved momentarily to Sharron and Maric, who were also listening attentively, and then to Flora, who was looking on in boredom.

He was confused as to why she decided to say her name when he gave her the opportunity to use a fake one. No one would have known, but she still revealed her name.

Maybe it was pride?

Also, how come she now had a body?

He was sure that Hunter Hallow had something to do with it, but he also felt that the Tower had done something since the Sequence of Flora was suppressed.

He also couldn't shake that strange feeling he had all over his body, as if something was missing.

'I doubt it's because I no longer have my beloved Parasite inside me. But if it's not her, then what is it?' While confused, he didn't feel it was an urgent problem, so it could wait a bit.

Putting that aside, Uron had finally finished his explanation.

Without further hesitation, the brown man held out his hand with the purple tattoo, and the mist surrounding them extinguished like a mirage.

With the fog gone, what immediately caught Adryan's attention was the structure in sight that stunned him.

A shadowy tower loomed in the distance, following a path of the same black ceramics and surrounded by grey mist.


next chapter

章節 376: Chapter 37: Well... That Happened.

The path was nothing special as far as Adryan could see. It was just a simple black ceramic floor - although he didn't rule out that it had something hidden in it - the path was neither too thick nor too narrow, just wide enough for the group of four to move comfortably.

On the sides of the path, there was only a thick, dense fog that covered everything and made it impossible to see anything, the sight of which hinted that if you went in there, you would get lost and end up in a place you didn't want to be.

'This is not the spirit world...' Adryan frowned slightly, swallowing a little saliva at his suddenly dry throat.

The fog that stretched into what seemed like infinity didn't feel like the Spirit World, and the way everything felt was... wrong.

It was an uncomfortable and strange sensation that even now Adryan found difficult to explain in words, but if he put one to it, it would be a misguided reverse.

But the sensation only exalted what loomed at the bottom of this strange world, the Endless Tower, which grew exponentially larger with each step the group took.

The curious group moved along the strange path, following Uron's instructions. They did not try to leave it and kept close to each other.

Common sense and logic didn't work or serve here. In just a few minutes of walking, the Tower that once looked like a common skyscraper in the distance now looked like an impassable guard, a tower that one would expect to have thousands of bloody warriors ready to defend it until their last breath.

But no one was there; it was empty, leaving a sense of failure and absence.

The entrance itself was a huge fort door made of old and badly damaged wood. Beyond it was a dark black corridor that didn't seem to lead anywhere.

'This is the point where a monster usually comes out of there and tries to kill us. Who could it be, a Xenomorph or Jason?' Adryan joked inwardly as he looked at the curious darkness that invited to be visited.

''This is as far as I go with you.'' Uron's sudden voice caught the group's attention.

"Won't you accompany us inside? I thought you were our guide?" Flora questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"I was until we got here. On their first times here, it's normal for people to wander off the path and end up in a different place than the one they came in," Uron then looked at Adryan, "I don't need to mention why the Church can't afford that, do I, Mr. Kenway?"

Adryan waved his hand in disinterest. "Yeah, yeah."

The Church doesn't want to lose its investment without seeing the returns.

Seeing that his message had been understood, Uron's lips lifted almost imperceptibly.

"Once you cross the hallway, you will enter the main hall and get the compass to find the next entrance and its opening day. Also, each time you enter a door, the people you bring with you will be a 'Group' entering the same floor, so don't worry if you get separated.

"You will undoubtedly meet again on the floor.

"When I leave, the leader of the "Group" will be you, Mr. Kenway. I will be seeing you."

With that said, Uron gave a slight bow with his hand on his chest, straightened up, and turned around. With a step and a subtle purple glow, the Wise Owl disappeared from the doorway.

The red-haired man looked at the place where the man had been, an idea formed in his mind and he slowly extended his arm.

Thud

'Of course.' Laughing a little, he extended his palm to the object he had touched and put a little force into it, but nothing changed.

His arm failed to fully extend before it collided with what appeared to be an invisible wall.

"If there had been no insurance to keep us here, I doubt he would have left us," Flora said, looking sideways at him.

"Yeah, I know." Sighing, Adryan pulled his hand away from the 'wall' and turned to look at the group behind him.

Sharron and Maric stood off to the side, looking at him, while Flora stood a little more to the side, her gaze exasperated and somewhat weary.

Ignoring the eagerness to advance Flora, the red-haired man looked cautiously at the gothic duo.

"How are you guys holding up? Any wishes you have?"

Maric scoffed in offence at his question, his eyes shining a little like spotlights in the unnatural light of the place; "I've been through Werewolf's curse once before, compared to Zombie's, this is nothing."

Sharron nodded in agreement to his words. Her ethereal and somewhat cold aura had greatly reduced, and her eyes had gained some sparkle and did not look as cold as before.

"It's not a problem."

Looking at them, Adryan gave a slight nod. Then, in a serene voice he said, "Once we are inside I will take the compass, there is no need for you to be marked as well."

Dressed in her black dress that looked like a classic Gothic, Sharron pursed her slightly redder lips and gave a slight nod.

"We appreciate it." Maric, again acting as his companion's voice, gave a nod in respect. His tone slightly raspier but calmer.

"If you're done, can we come in?" Flora cut in, her annoyance clear in her tone. "We can't stay here all day!"

Sighing again at his companion, Adryan smiled at the duo as he raised the hood of his jacket, hiding his hair; "Shall we?"

"Lead the way, Mr. Adryan." Maric nodded with a somewhat canine smile while Sharron merely nodded softly.

Laughing a little, Adryan began to walk...

Unable to help himself, he lifted his head slightly and began to march gracefully. Pointing a finger to the front, he exclaimed as Sergeant, "Follow me, my pups! Towards the snack shop!"

Just as they started to follow him, the now Werewolf Maric and Sharron froze for a second in their tracks.

"Damn it, Princess..." Holding back the smile that threatened to break her face, Flora quickly followed the redhead. Her shoulders shaking slightly from the restrained laughter.

...

The walk down the dark corridor was silent, not much of an event. It was just a dense darkness, and despite the blackness, everyone could see each other clearly.

'It's as if this is the background of an art. The centerpiece has all the colors while the background is devoid. Unable to avoid making the comparison, Adryan raised his hand and looked at the separation of the void with his black glove.

For a few moments, they continued to walk in this void until, in the distance, a tiny dot of light appeared.

"I recommend you close your eyes."

Flora's late warning was all they had received before, and in an instant, the light became all they could see.

Blinking to get the lights out of his sight, Adryan could only grunt slightly as he looked at a deadpan Flora. Thanks to his keen senses, he noticed the slightly raised corners of her lips and the contentment in her eyes.

Rolling his eyes, Adryan decided he would punish her later. Out of curiosity, he turned behind them and the corridor they had entered had disappeared, there was only a cold grey rock wall.

'No turning back, eh?' Sighing internally, the red-haired man returned to the front, unable to help but be surprised at what he saw.

A colossal hall where a football stadium could easily fit and still leave room for two other stadiums.

Huge grey pillars surrounded the super hall. They had numerous cracks covering their bodies, but they still stood strong and unbreakable. There was no ceiling, just a void of impenetrable darkness that seemed to be acting as a ceiling. Every now and then, something seemed to move in it.

The red-haired man immediately looked away as soon as he felt his head ache.

"Don't look at the ceiling; focus your gaze below," Flora mentioned next to him.

Parping a little to regain concentration, Adryan looked down at what seemed to be the center of the place, reverberating with activity.

Hundreds of people were moving in groups of at least two; he could barely see a single one. The activity was such that Adryan couldn't help but think he had walked into a quinceañera. Still, compared to these Latino parties, the redhead noticed the lack of cubicles selling alcohol.

So, with a raised eyebrow, he turned to the purple-clad white-haired woman; "With so many beyonders here, one would expect the odd strolling merchant."

"It's a waste of time." Flora said duly, "Once the gates open, you can never come back here again. This point only exists for newcomers."

"The doors open?" Maric frowned slightly, looking around.

In all this huge space that could easily fit several small villages, there was nothing besides pillars and people. There was no grand staircase to the next floor or a huge door.

"You will understand in a few moments. It's been almost 10 minutes since the door opened. There are only 20 seconds to go," Flora replied uninterestedly, looking at her nails.

At her words, Adryan could only whistle in surprise as he continued to look around.

"Time to rest before we're transported to the floor? Not bad."

Passing his gaze over the various groups of people who were also here for the first time, whether they came accompanied or alone, the red-haired man wondered what kind of challenge they would face this time.

Uron had told them that the challenges on each floor were different, and so varied that it would be impossible to describe them all.

Perhaps he would face a Golem? Or maybe it would be to solve some mystery?

If they faced a monster, they would quickly subdue it with his firepower and the help of two Werewolves, not to mention the artifacts he brought with him. And if it were the second where they had to solve a puzzle or mystery, it would be even better!

After all, they do have a Cryptologist with them~

'Though, of course, if it were that simple. The Emperor of the Perverts would never have complained about the difficulty, and Flora wouldn't have been so vehement about me not coming here.'

There had to be something else to these floors that he wasn't catching.

His scarlet eyes flicked past what he was seeing and focused on a spot not far from them. A previously empty place was now occupied by two people, surely just arriving.

One of them was holding the other by the back of the neck like a naughty cat. The naughty cat had dark blond hair, and his almost black-blue eyes glared hatefully at the man holding him, but he ignored him, his red gaze clashing with his scarlet one.

The man with the red eyes was quite handsome but looked quite pale, which was counterbalanced by his long red hair, giving him the appearance of a ghoul. He wore black armor stained with blood.

The black-armored man looked confused, and Adryan was sure that he was not unlike a deer caught in a car's headlights.

Badum Badum Badum Badum!

His heart began to race, pumping blood to every part of his body, adrenaline accompanying it. Pupils shrinking.

Time seemed to stand still for the two of them.

Suddenly, a gigantic flash of light formed above everyone's head, bringing dead silence and snapping the redheads out of their trance, who looked up at it for a moment.

A giant sphere of light had condensed, quickly transforming into a giant number 3.

Seeing what was about to happen, Adryan refused to leave it at that. Turning to look at the armored man from before, a huge grin formed on his face as he pulled down his hood, his fire-red hair descending.

"EY! THREE FLAVOURED SOUP!!!" A mighty shout echoed through the silent place, drawing everyone's attention to the source who was a young red-haired man.

"Hey! Is that not- ?!"

"Adryan Kenway?!!! What's that madman doing here?!?"

"Get him!!!"

Some people heeded the order and charged towards them, the number of lights changed to a 2.

"Damn it, Princess!" Flora cursed as she reflexively backed away.

"Was that necessary?" Sharron asked, glaring at him. There was a hint of annoyance in her eyes.

"You're insane!" Maric growled wolfishly and hunched over.

Grinning from ear to ear with his white teeth showing, Adryan ignored his team and raised his middle finger to the black armor-clad figure, who looked speechless.

"Fuck you!"

The number of light changed 1 as the expression on the figure's face broke into a grimace and two bloody mouths formed on his cheeks, from a distance Adryan could almost tell they were laughing.

The next instant, a vast flash blinded everyone, and the gigantic hall returned to silence.

...

Groaning slightly, Adryan brought a gloved hand to his head as he rose from the damp floor where he was lying.

"You bear the mark; you are cursed! You must place your hand upon the stone!" a mysterious, ethereal voice came from everywhere.

Adryan froze as he heard the mysterious but oh-so-familiar voice. Incredulously, the red-haired man opened his eyes as a soft melody began to play in his ears. Behind him, several grunts were heard, along with the sound of people waking up.

"I never get used to that," Flora growled grumpily as she got up from the ground and approached the redhead.

"Where are we?" Maric asked as Sharron stood up behind him and looked around calmly, rocking her head slightly to the entrancing music.

"I've never heard a tune like that before..." The Wraith-now-Werewolf murmured slightly.

She looked around and noticed they were now in an alleyway in some city. Several broken windows were barely covered by wooden planks, and a strange blue machine was in a short corridor. At the far end of the alley, she could see a metal gate leading to a large open space.

Reaching the man, Flora was about to say something when she saw her companion's face, which froze her.

Adryan's eyes were wide open, his mouth hung open slightly, and his gaze was full of disbelief.

Stunned, Flora looked around in alarm, searching for something that could put someone like her partner in that state, but found nothing. A crazy idea formed in her mind, and she quickly turned her attention back to the man.

"Princess, do you know where we are?"

Adryan nodded, regaining control as he looked at her, his expression quivering slightly. "Unfortunately, yes."

Just as Sharron and Maric approached to see what was going on, loud, animalistic growls sounded. Yellow eyes appeared from the darkness of the broken windows.

The trio stood on guard as Adryan watched what was happening with a complicated expression.

He recognized this alley. Or, as he used to call it, the initial room.

'Is this fucking Shadows of Evils?!'

-----

Sorry for the delay. Phew, I have to stop doing that.

As promised, here's Adryan's new art and cover! [Check comment]

As the last time, the artist is @bleeding_sun . Check her account!

If you like, I also posted the image in better quality; use this link below or visit my Twitter account.

https://x.com/TheWitnessFoD/status/1837104645774209338?t=fRwEksi7gHng4ZDgmBEM_g&s=19

@TheWitnessFoD


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