Tower Of God: Life As Hoaqin

"Hahahaha! Fast, you're fast! One wrong move and my head would've gone flying!"

"Hahaha... I wonder if I cut those fingers off, would you not be able to use that annoying explosion anymore..!"

The grinning Slayer snapped his fingers once more, and an explosion erupted right in front of me. A thunderous roar that rattled my eardrums and tremors powerful enough to shake this underground space. An unknowable ability that could freely wield explosions of this magnitude—I was starting to get irritated.

"Now, this time—behind you!"

Another explosion rang out. I ignored his words and dodged on instinct once again. The bonus was that the explosion honestly did come from behind, just as he'd said. The shame of nearly listening to the enemy's words to dodge their attack, and the pathetic sight of myself unable to do anything—unable to close the distance, unable to use techniques—because of those spatial explosions.

Of course, with Heuk-rin's regeneration I could just ignore it all and charge in... but I had my doubts about revealing the regeneration ability so easily. Above all, minor scratches were one thing, but regenerating major injuries like severed limbs consumed a great deal of stamina.

Then for now—!

"Hahaha, it's about time I played you my next compo— hm?!"

[Grrrrr....]

Heuk-rin, with only its head rapidly formed, growled low, then following my signal immediately gathered shinsu in its mouth and released it like a breath attack.

"Your compositions are mediocre, so no thanks."

[GRAAAAAAH—!]

With Heuk-rin's roar, a shinsu heat ray fired immediately. The Slayer's eyes widened and he frantically mashed the piano keys beside him. Instead of the orderly, peaceful melody from before, this time a grating, unpleasant cacophony filled the room.

Then came the finger snap—just before the heat ray struck him directly, a massive explosion erupted. A colorless explosion carrying power incomparable to before engulfed the heat ray as if to devour it, and the two cancelled each other out. The shockwave spread and caused various parts of this enormous underground cavern to collapse, but regardless, the Slayer had blocked the attack.

Thinking he'd gained some breathing room, he smiled and tried to say something to me, but his expression immediately stiffened slightly. Because I had no intention of giving him any reprieve.

While he was busy blocking the breath, the massive shinsu sword I'd prepared in advance burst through the underground wall and charged at him. A spectacular explosion erupted, thick dust clouds billowed, and from within them the Slayer emerged with a hearty laugh.

He staggered slightly, then coughed up blood before staring at me with madness-filled eyes.

"Keh, cough cough, phew... hahaha, to think you were secretly carrying around a monster like that inside you."

"Haha, my secret friend is very shy."

The conversation was brief. I didn't want to let the distance I'd painstakingly closed widen again, so I immediately charged at him.

Simultaneously, I thought. The moment Heuk-rin fired its breath at him, his bizarre behavior of suddenly playing the piano was clearly unnatural. I'd initially thought his occasional piano-tapping during our fight was just to provoke me... but was that not the case?

Meanwhile, our eyes happened to meet. As if watching a mouse walk into a set trap, he was baring his fangs in a madness-filled smile.

What?

While I was puzzled yet thrusting my sword toward him, an explosion erupted once again. Not a single explosion, but consecutive explosions detonating in rapid succession all around me.

"....!"

If I blocked, I could avoid critical injury. But the distance would open up again. If I didn't block...

The deliberation lasted an instant. I finally made my choice, and ignoring the explosions bearing down on me, I unhesitatingly swung my sword at his chest.

"...?!"

"Ha, finally reached you."

With everything I had, I swung the sword diagonally and left a long gash across his chest. Simultaneously, I was fully caught in the consecutive explosions. Something made of shinsu engulfed my entire body, and horrific pain as if my body were being torn apart assailed me—all I could do was endure.

On one side, white slashes flashed; on the other, colorless explosions continued like fireworks. Within that light, both of us took direct hits from each other's attacks, and we both crashed to the ground in wretched states.

Ugh, that hurts like hell. My legs and arms won't move either.

Clutching the deep, long gash, the Slayer slowly rose and burst into laughter upon seeing me.

"Ha... hahaha, hahaha! You took that head-on? Tougher than you look! Not thinking about the consequences?"

"Well, who knows."

"....?"

Slowly yet quickly, particles of light rose from my body. The gathered particles of light covered my body once more, rapidly beginning to repair the injuries. My battered body and even the damaged clothes were returning to their original state as if nothing had happened.

Strength returned to my arms and legs, and I could stand again. Using Baekya as a cane to push myself up, I savored the expression of the Slayer, who was blankly watching the spectacle.

He was still wounded from the sword slash, but I had recovered completely to my pre-fight condition.

Phew, the stamina drain is considerable though.

Clap, clap, clap.

"...?"

The self-proclaimed Slayer suddenly began applauding.

"Hahahaha! I was wondering why you were so tough—you had an ace up your sleeve! Magnificent, what kind of sorcery is that? Even in FUG—"

"I'm sorry, but—"

I cut off his words that seemed devoid of any substance, charged at him, grabbed his face in my hand, and—

"That's a trade secret, dear customer."

THOOM—I slammed him into the ground while still holding him. The floor shattered, debris flew, and the thunderous sound echoed through the interior. Simultaneously, the tremendous impact—enough to crater the ground—bore down on him, and he coughed up blood once more.

The instant I pinned him to the ground and sealed his movement, I drew Baekya and aimed for his throat—

"Kehek, khahaha... you, I like you."

"...!"

Even in that moment, he was smiling. A face so steeped in madness that it could be called madness itself—seeing that expression, a chilling feeling made me hastily retreat, but simultaneously an explosion erupted as well.

Ugh, didn't he need some kind of action to trigger explosions?

"Kh..."

My arm—skin tissue and muscle torn away, exposing bone—regenerated quickly. Particles covered the arm and it was cleanly restored to normal, but since it didn't erase the pain, I grimaced slightly. And the stamina drain was severe too...

Still, from that just now, I'd figured it out to some extent. What that infuriating spatial explosion really was.

"Sound waves. That was your shinsu attribute."

"....."

He said nothing, merely raising the corners of his mouth as he listened to me speak. As if urging me to continue.

I obliged without hesitation.

"Actions like snapping your fingers were meaningless, or just done as misdirection... it wasn't spatial explosions at all—you were simply amplifying sound waves drifting through the space to their extreme limit."

So that was why he kept playing the piano at every opportunity. The more sounds there were to detonate, and the louder they were, the better.

"Ahhh, this is why I detest fighting. Nobody appreciates the artistry of my ability—they just objectively assess its danger like that. Think about it. Do we really need to fight? My profession is artist. I'm far removed from combat."

"Haha, and who was the one gleefully using that 'artistic' ability to blow things up? You attacked first, too. As a 10 Great Family branch leader and ruler, I can hardly stand idle with a Slayer right before my eyes."

"Hehehe, fair point. By the way, isn't the piano getting a bit stale?"

"Ah, I was just about to say that."

"Oh, so you do have some artistic sensibility? Then let me switch to my main instrument..."

He extended his hand, and blue shinsu gathered at his fingertips, forming a shape. That's... a violin?

"Now then, everything up to now was just the interlude! The first movement of the overture written by me, Vertia, the Eighth Seat of FUG! Feel free to enjoy it to your heart's content!"

The shinsu attribute of sound—I'd never seen it before in my life. I understood what it was now, but how was I supposed to counter it? I'd managed to wound him twice, but my stamina had been consumed just the same. In the end, the only option was a game of chicken—

At that moment, his violin finally began to play, and the piercing sound unique to the violin rang out. Immediately, something formless and colorless flew at me. I couldn't see it, but I could feel it. I instantly drew Baek-ya and swung the sword diagonally, and the formless attack deflected off it and struck an innocent wall.

And the wall was sliced cleanly in half, as easily as tofu.

Insane—what kind of cutting power is that?

The blade-laced violin performance began immediately, and after deliberating hard, I finally made one decision. My regeneration ability had already been exposed anyway—just charging straight in would be the easiest. Figuring it was better to end this quickly before more stamina was consumed, I dodged only the minimum attacks with the minimum movement and charged straight at Vertia.

"Hahahaha! How bold! Let's see how many more steps you can take!"

The violin's melody—now downright eerie—sliced my flesh and left countless gashes across my body. My body was by no means weak, yet both the explosions from before and these attacks now—every single one would have been truly dangerous without Heuk-rin. The fight should have gone far more defensively.

But right now!

Shwaaaa—

The dozens of deep gashes I'd sustained all regenerated, restoring me to my original state. That much more stamina drained away, but the distance between us was already close enough.

A chilling sensation in that instant—I entrusted my body to instinct and immediately ducked my head as low as possible.

BANG!

Sure enough, an explosion erupted where my head had been, and I felt a cold chill, but ultimately I'd dodged it. I continued charging at him without a moment's pause.

Something sounded like it fell just now though—what was that? No time to worry about that now.

"Oh dear, I missed. I was curious whether your head would regenerate too if I popped i—"

SLASH!

The instant I swung my sword, he wasn't about to just take it lying down either. The violin's chilling notes created a formless blade that struck down at my sword, and in that gap he pulled far back, nearly escaping my range.

I redirected the slash's trajectory using Arie swordsmanship, but in the end only managed a few drops of blood—and that was enough.

Hoaqin-Style Shinsu Manipulation Art — Judgment of the Lion's Blade

"Hm?!"

The medium for activating the technique was blood. Baek-ya had just tasted Vertia's blood, and the activation requirements were fulfilled.

Vertia's expression froze for an instant as he sensed something ominous, and he looked upward.

Bad premonitions always proved right—five shinsu swords, stronger and colder than anything else, hovered above his head. Swords that would follow him like ghosts no matter where he moved.

And immediately—

"...Oh dear."

Vertia let out a lament, and having become a condemned man, his sentence was carried out on the spot.

KABOOOOOM!!

The swords of judgment—designated to their target through blood as a medium and guaranteed to strike—pronounced the death sentence the moment he looked up and immediately executed it.

Pierced by five swords, he coughed up blood and crumpled to the ground.

The fight ended more easily than expected. Vertia lay sprawled on the floor, and I stared at him, gasping for breath.

"Hah, hah, hah... for a Slayer, you're not much."

"Heh... you think Slayers are chosen for being strong? The reason I became a Slayer is—"

Lying on the ground, he waved his hand several times. Only then did I notice something in his hand. ...A conductor's baton?

Shimmmer—

At that moment, a semi-transparent barrier of some kind enveloped both me and Vertia. What?

I tried to escape immediately, but the semi-transparent square-shaped barrier enclosed us faster.

"...Well, I just need to kill you and break out."

"Heheh... my dear combat-obsessed friend who knows nothing but fighting... I was holding back because I was worried this home I cherish might collapse, and you... let me see, were you perhaps holding back because you were worried about the children?"

"....!"

"About those children—they're already gone. My friend took them all a month ago. You came here looking for the Elders' legacy too, right? Sorry, but this place is an empty shell. Chaplin already took everything important."

What? But Chaplin? Could it be Orphanage Director Chaplin? Wait, come to think of it, the orphanage's name was...

Just then, I sensed someone at the entrance. Someone I'd never seen before—FUG? As expected, he came panting toward us, first looked at Vertia, and was horrified.

"My god! The Zahard Army is outside too... hm?! What happened?!"

"Ah, good timing. Elder's Deacon. Hurry and grab those documents over there and get out of here. They contain the locations of other 'Paradises' and all sorts of important things, so handle them with care."

"...Y-yes sir!"

"...What!"

If this Slayer was telling the truth and there was nothing to gain here, then those documents were the only prize. I couldn't let him escape—!

KABOOM!

At that moment, an explosion erupted and consumed my shoulder.

"...How annoying."

"Hahaha, you can't break this barrier anyway, right? Just stay here quietly and discuss art with me, and then..."

SLASH!

Without another word, I immediately severed Vertia's head. It was cut so easily that I was more surprised than he was, but what came after was even more shocking.

"Hahaha, so unhesitating. I like that—very unlike the 10 Great Families."

"...?!"

The severed head was talking. What the hell, was he a dullahan or something?

Vertia spoke calmly as if nothing had happened, even smiling.

"I can't regenerate like you, but I do have this little trick. You simply can't kill me through normal means like this. Using every bizarre phenomenon and dangerous unidentified power in the Tower to the fullest and making them their own—that's what we FUG are. Oh, while I'm at it, during my violin performance earlier, did you happen to notice any notes that were off pi—"

"Ah, will you please shut up."

How much time had I wasted on this pathetic conversation? The one called the Elder's Deacon had already gathered all the documents and, after shooting one glare this way, was hurriedly making his way outside.

I'd burned through a lot of stamina so it would be tough, but there was no choice.

CRACKLE—

"....!"

Vertia's face, which had been chattering away, instantly went rigid. Because I had grabbed the empty air, torn it like paper, and crossed through the gap in space.

"Now that expression—I rather like it."

I mocked Vertia to my heart's content, then caught my breath and looked ahead. Using spatial distortion seemed to have pushed me to my physical limits, but catching that guy from just now would be more than possible.

The moment I took one step forward, a familiar voice came from beyond.

"Where are you running off to so eagerly?"

"Y-you can't be..!"

CRACKLE BOOM!

At that moment, blue electricity erupted from the corridor where the Elder's Deacon had disappeared. The Deacon was immediately flung back into this underground cavern, charred black.

And then, a presence began to make itself known—one so familiar, so dearly missed.

...Could it be?

Click, click.

Blue eyes that seemed to hold electricity, blue hair, a cold complexion and expression—everything was familiar.

"....!"

After five years, I met her in a place I'd never expected.

Crackle— spark—

Sparks surrounded her body. She soon smiled that sharp smile of hers and, pointing the lightning spear in her hand at the Deacon, was about to say something.

"Now then, why don't you tell me what those papers you were clutching so preciously a—hm?"

Her gaze drifted casually and landed where I was standing.

My eyes and Mascheny's eyes met.

Only when her eyes turned toward me did it truly sink in that the reunion I'd longed for over five years had finally arrived.

At last!

However, Mascheny's reaction was a bit unexpected.

"...Huh?"

Rub rub.

"...Huh?"

"...?"

Hm? What's wrong with her?

While I tilted my head, Mascheny, having furiously rubbed her eyes, cleared her throat and suddenly turned around, starting to walk back the way she came.

"...I-I've been fighting all day so I'm seeing things..."

"...Mascheny?"

She flinched, wearing a rather flustered expression as she turned back to look at me.

"...H-Hoaqin... why are you here..."

"Mascheny! I really missed you so much—it's been five years! Did you know I was here and come to see me?"

"...O-of course. But... why are you here...?"

"...?"

While I tilted my head at Mascheny's nonsensical words that didn't match the context, she cautiously approached me.

Bump.

Just then, she suddenly stumbled on something and paused, looking down at the floor.

Was there a rock on the grou—?!

A small jewel-decorated chest. What had caught Mascheny's foot was that very chest.

Oh no—why is that there? I definitely put it safely inside my coat... did it fall out during the fight?!

"..? And what's this?"

"M-Mascheny! Wait!!"

Ah, it was already too late. The instant I frantically tried to stop her, she had already opened the small chest.

Click.

"...A ring?"

Yep. What was inside the chest was a ring.

She stared at it quizzically, then looked at me.

Ah, I'm done for.

"Hoaqin, is this yours?"

"...Yeah."

"Why a ring..."

She murmured, fiddling with the ring. And then she noticed the letters engraved on the inside of the band.

— Khun Maschenny Zahard —

"....."

"....."

An awkward, devastating silence of about ten seconds.

Accompanied by the imaginary sound effect of a 'BANG' that seemed like it should have come from somewhere, her face gradually turned red. She covered her face with both hands and hastily vanished somewhere.

Ah, I'm ruined...