Tower Of God: Life As Hoaqin

War had been decided.

The Arie Family had moved with relative secrecy, but from the moment it was discovered that the decisive weapon—the bombardment warship 'Le Epiros'—had been deployed to the 93rd Floor, directly below the 94th, any further concealment was meaningless.

The munitions production factories on the 91st Floor received even more budget and manpower, churning out floating ships and warships day after day. Bit by bit, the smiles faded from the faces of the Arie Family's Rankers, replaced by fighting spirit and bloodlust.

The Ha Family began making moves as well. Intelligence came in that the fortress on the 94th Floor—composed of floating castles and already bearing the epithet 'the Impregnable Iron Fortress'—had slowly begun activating.

When signs appeared that the 94th Floor's floating castle fortress, which had never once been breached despite facing numerous threats over countless years, was being strengthened even further, the Arie Family's military division had to take urgent action.

Justifications composed of every manner of flowery rhetoric, slander, and fabrication sprouted up like weeds, and in an instant the Ha Family began to be portrayed in the media as reactionary agitators who had picked a fight with the Arie Family.

Only on floors governed by the Arie Family, of course. Few actually believed the Arie Family's accusations, but as always, most shrugged it off as just another round of political and diplomatic maneuvering.

"...Therefore, we hereby declare economic retaliatory measures against the Ha Family, and announce a travel ban across all Arie territory from the 90th Floor and above."

In any case, the forcibly manufactured justification did serve to block the Ha Family's access to the 94th Floor... but it didn't produce particularly good results.

The Ha Family knew countless 'back routes' for climbing floors beyond the Tower's official inter-floor gates, and by traversing only the outermost unexplored zones that the Arie Family had difficulty monitoring, they were supplying massive quantities of materials to the 94th Floor.

The Tower was far wider than we had thought.

— Amid the taut tension between the Ha Family and the Arie Family, experts are divided between the usual opinions of 'this is just another power-checking skirmish' versus 'this is an unprecedented crisis'...

— Hmm... the Arie Family does have that individual who made headlines recently, don't they?

— Yes. Arie Hoaqin—an extraordinary supernova who was assigned a ranking of 100th from the very start. I still vividly remember how the entire Tower was buzzing at the time.

— Haha, he was the main topic of interest for everyone regardless of age or gender, Regulars and Rankers alike. What's his current status?

— He serves as an Arie Family branch leader while concurrently holding the position of ruler of the 78th Floor. Incidentally, since he began governing the 78th Floor twelve years ago, numerous reforms have been implemented, and it has now entered the top ten most desirable cities to live in throughout the Tower...

"Wow, my brother must really be an amazing person, Heron."

"He is amazing. Truly an remarkable individual. He went to the trouble of appointing Lord Cain as acting branch leader so he could take it easy, yet he's still working so hard that it renders the whole arrangement pointless. The fact that the 78th Floor could develop this much in a mere twelve years was entirely thanks to Branch Leader Hoaqin as its ruler."

"Wooow...."

Hagipherione, who had been taking a break during her lessons with Heron, was completely absorbed in the TV segment about Hoaqin. Together with her cat Harp nestled in her arms, she gazed endlessly at the screen.

— Do you think the Ha Family is factoring in the existence of Branch Leader Hoaqin in their calculations?

— Hmm... that seems like a stretch. We're talking about the Ha Family here. No matter how outstanding Branch Leader Hoaqin's combat prowess may be, he reportedly didn't receive the power he should have upon becoming a Ranker, so I don't think the Ha Family would pay him particular attention.

— Ah, on that note, there have been doubts about Branch Leader Hoaqin's combat capabilities...

"But Heron, am I not allowed to become a Princess of Zahard?"

Heron flinched momentarily and looked at Hagipherione.

"Why do you say that?"

"When I told oppa I wanted to become a Princess of Zahard, his expression froze for a second. He asked me with a sad face whether that was really what I wanted..."

"What do you wish to do, my lady?"

"I think I probably should. Mother told me I was born to become a Princess of Zahard from the very beginning. That it had been decided since she was carrying me..."

"That is Lady Raphir's wish. What is your wish, my lady? Not influenced by Lady Raphir, nor by Lord Hoaqin, nor by anyone else—purely your own thoughts."

At Heron's question, Hagipherione clutched her head and thought carefully before giving her answer.

"I... want to do it."

Heron gazed at her in silence for a moment. Before long, he put on a warm smile and encouraged her. Thoughts could always change at any time, and even if she held onto the desire to become a Princess of Zahard until the very end, if it was truly what she wanted, then supporting her was the right thing to do.

Hagipherione surely already knew the regulations that came with being a Princess of Zahard. And still, she said she wanted to.

"If it's what you wish, my lady, then that settles it. Now then, break time is over. Let's open the book again."

"Aww, but the segment about oppa doesn't seem finished yet. Can't I just watch until that part's over?"

"Hehe, I'll request a personal copy of that broadcast from the station, so for now, lessons come first."

"Okaaay."

"Now then, page 92. As a direct lineage member of the Arie Family, one holds a great many things in their hands..."

Hagipherione diligently took in every word Heron said, yet stole a glance out the window at the ceiling—clear without a single cloud.

In that instant, an enormous black shape streaked across the high ceiling of the Tower. Hagipherione wanted nothing more than to lean against the window frame and confirm what had just passed, but the chances were extremely high that it was already gone, and this was her lesson time with Heron, so she obediently set the thought aside and refocused on Heron's words.

For the record, Hoaqin had deliberately not imported any black-colored deep-sea creatures for the simple reason that they didn't match his epithet, so no black deep-sea creatures lived on the 78th Floor.

In other words, the creature Hagipherione had happened to glimpse passing by was not a deep-sea creature. It was a black dragon—among the ancient species, a primordial being, a Primordial Species: Heuk-rin.

Cleaving through the atmospheric shinsu, Heuk-rin glided at high speed with all four wings spread wide. Sitting comfortably atop him in a cross-legged position, I enjoyed the refreshing wind while periodically surveying below, carefully checking whether anyone had dared to trespass on my floor.

Hmm, nothing seems to be showing up so far.

[How long must we keep doing this, spawn of Hon?]

"That's enough. I think we've covered all the unexplored zones, so it should be confirmed that there are no Ha Family forces stationed on the 78th Floor."

The instant Heuk-rin heard my words, he dissolved his body into particles. In a flash, Heuk-rin had transformed into pitch-black mist, and I nearly plummeted downward before manipulating shinsu to plant my feet in midair and halt my fall. Heuk-rin, now black mist, swirled around me like a typhoon, then gradually absorbed back into my body.

Watching Heuk-rin like that, I couldn't help but let out an empty laugh. To think I'd developed this kind of casual relationship with the Heuk-rin who had tried so desperately to kill me when we first met.

Once my thoughts reached that point, the events I'd experienced regarding Heuk-rin over the past several years naturally flashed through my mind.

....

Nine years ago.

'Master, we have a problem.'

"Hm? Long time no see, Baek-ya. You've been quiet lately."

'...I've been bored. "Power" was my only conversation partner. Now that he's suddenly disappeared, what am I supposed to live for!'

"...Haha, I'll at least keep you company from now on. If I'm not enough, how about trying to get along with Baek-rin?"

'Are you seriously saying that right now...! Ah, right! Master, Baek-rin turned back into Heuk-rin. That's what I wanted to tell you. But something seems a bit different—you should probably take a look.'

"...What?"

The process by which Heuk-rin had become Baek-rin was simple. Upon becoming a Ranker, I had fully digested all the power I'd stockpiled while fusing with Baek-ya, then crossed into my inner world, overpowered the imprisoned Heuk-rin with sheer force, and forcibly stripped him of his abilities.

In the process, Heuk-rin became subordinate to me, and as his abilities—like super regeneration—shifted to become more compatible with me, the transformed appearance was what we called Baek-rin.

But now he'd turned back into Heuk-rin. Alarmed, I hastily recreated the same conditions as Revolution and entered my inner world to face Heuk-rin.

[...You again, spawn of Hon.]

"..Heuk-rin? You seem a bit less hostile somehow?"

[Obviously. This body does not inherently possess the unstable psyche that lashed out indiscriminately like back then. I was incompletely revived at that time, so everything was unstable.]

I waved my hands placatingly at Heuk-rin, who was baring his sharp fangs and growling low, trying to calm him down.

"Haha... calm down, Heuk-rin. But why did you turn black again?"

[When you defeated me and stripped my abilities, I had temporarily lost my sense of self and became a puppet, sitting obediently. Now that the subordination has been released and my self has returned, there was no need to maintain that revolting white appearance... I am Heuk-rin—Black Scale! If you dare slap another ridiculous name like 'Baek-rin' on me again, I'll devour you first...!!]

"S-sorry... but why was the subordination released?"

[Who do you think I am?! I am the Primordial Species, Heuk-rin! Spiritual constraints like subordination, which are barely above the level of cheap sorcery, have no effect on this body whatsoever!]

A blazing gleam ignited in his crimson eyes, and blue flames flickered around his mouth. It felt rather forced, but if that's what he claimed, what could I do?

In any case, when I really thought about it, not that much had actually changed about Heuk-rin. The state of subordination to me had simply been released, his color had simply reverted to its original state, his sense of self had simply returned, and the calmness that his incomplete revival had disrupted in his psyche had simply been restored.

Come to think of it, quite a lot had changed... regardless, after Heuk-rin's mind was restored and he regained his sense of self, our relationship changed significantly.

[After the ancient species, including myself, were defeated in the war against Zahard and the 10 Family Heads, we were cursed so that we could not maintain our existence in this Tower on our own. Had a bit more time passed after my revival, I too would have become nothing more than a thought-form, shoved away in some corner to spend eternity.]

[However, having already entered your body, that concern has vanished. You have become my host. Therefore, our relationship is a transactional one. Understood?!]

"What I want is your power and cooperation. What do you want?"

[My demand is one thing. Continue to survive as my host, just like this, until 'that day' comes.]

"..When does 'that day' come?"

[If I knew that, would I just call it 'that day'?! It is merely imprinted deep in my memory!]

"Got it. Then in any case, the deal is struck, Heuk-rin."

[Grrrrr.....]

And so, the business relationship that had continued until now—written as 'business relationship,' read as 'more or less friends.' Heuk-rin still threw tantrums, but... at least now he'd hear me out when I asked. This was how you built a relationship, after all.

"Heuk-rin, I want to go back to the branch. Could you give me a ride just one more time?"

[Get lost.]

"Fine, I'll just fly on my own."

In the old days, I'd secretly hoped he might be like Belsian—saying no but doing it anyway. But Heuk-rin genuinely wouldn't. When he said no, I had no choice but to cleanly give up. It wasn't that far from here to the branch anyway.

"""We offer our swords to the White Whale!!!"""

"Glory to the great sword."

Upon returning to the branch, despite not having entered through the main gate—I'd just landed somewhere random—dozens of Rankers were somehow already lined up in two rows waiting for me. After answering their chanting with a formal greeting, I walked to the acting branch leader's office. There, Cain was processing a mountain of paperwork with glasses on.

"The number of Rankers has grown again?"

"The growth curve will probably shrink again after this. The remaining enforcement squad members aren't easy to find. Still, we've absorbed over eighty percent of them, so we've more than doubled the original target. Here, a report roughly summarizing the branch's forces. Take a look."

I slowly read through the report Cain handed me and let out a scoff. And for good reason...

"A single branch with three upper High Rankers, three High Rankers, nearly ten upper Rankers, and dozens of regular Rankers. It might be better to wait and submit the force update report to the main house all at once later."

...Wait, isn't this on par with a Royal Army corps?

Cain nodded, as if he'd read my expression and performed mind-reading.

"You've finally realized. In terms of military power alone, your branch is currently the strongest among all Arie Family branches. Compared to others, it would be on par with or above a Zahard Army Imperial Guard corps."

"...It's already at this level, and you're saying there are still more former enforcement squad members to recruit?"

"Of course. The Elders' legacy is far more impressive than you think."

New technologies the Elders had secretly co-developed with the Workshop and planned to slowly unveil for profit, the countless cutting-edge equipment used to conceal 'Paradise,' the numerous classified weapons installed to protect 'Paradise'—the Elders' legacy truly fit the expression 'the tree that keeps on giving.'

The problem was that we lacked ordinary troops to operate floating ships and warships, but once that issue was resolved, before long I might be commanding my branch into war.

"How are the preparations coming along?"

"I've deployed warship forces near the 78th-79th Floor gate, but the budget is tight in many ways. Looking into it, you really poured a lot into civilian welfare on the 78th Floor. You could have spent some on military too."

"Ahaha... I didn't know something like this would happen."

"And why did you buy all those deep-sea creatures? Especially the large ones—the cost of two could buy a single warship."

"They look nice aesthetically."

"...."

I scratched my head sheepishly. Truth be told, back when I wasn't paying much attention to defense, the budget was overflowing to the point of having surplus.

However, while preparing for this war with the Ha Family and buying various military supplies like warships to guard against a possible invasion of the 78th Floor... the budget had evaporated in an instant.

So this was why the Arie Family administrative division tried to conserve the budget allocated to the military.

The budget requirements were enormous, but the Ha Family's territory ran from the 79th to 89th Floors, so it bordered directly on the 78th Floor that I governed. Better to be prepared for anything. And I needed to worry about Harpe's safety too.

I'd heard the Ha Family had already completed their supply transport to the 94th Floor. The fortress was reportedly nearly finished, with military warships and floating ships deployed in massive quantities. The 94th Floor's self-sustaining systems were running so smoothly that blocking their supply routes was largely meaningless anyway.

Ding.

Soon, a clear alarm chimed from my Pocket. Cain, who had been diligently working his pen, paused and looked up at me.

"What is it?"

"Ah, looks like the schedule's already been set."

I switched my Pocket to thorn mode, and on the screen was a large white lotus flower.

— Attendance authorization for the White Lotus Council confirmed. You have been invited to the White Lotus Council. Entry code: ADWQQWQWDSAFQWR—

The White Lotus Council. The name for the meeting where the Arie Family's senior leadership gathered to discuss matters of great importance to the Family. As a branch leader and ruler, I too had been invited.

— Considering the current circumstances in which the rulers governing each floor and the branch leaders managing their branches are busy, this White Lotus Council will be conducted not in person but via hologram. For detailed attendance instructions...

Hmm, simpler than I expected.

...

100th Floor, Arie Family Main House

The venue of the White Lotus Council—White Lotus Hall.

In the center was a small pond with white lotus flowers floating upon it. The place exuded an Eastern aesthetic, creating a peaceful atmosphere. The subtle fragrance of lotus blossoms gently filled the room, and the still water seemed to inspire self-reflection just by looking at it. However, this beautiful conference hall—with cushions lined up neatly along the pond's edge—was completely empty, without a single person seated.

Normally, the seats of White Lotus Hall should have been filled with the Arie Family's rulers, branch leaders, the administrative minister, defense minister, imperial guard captain, the Sword of Arie, and other senior leadership. Instead, only one person occupied a seat.

"...It's about time."

The Sword of Arie, Yuryeo, occupying the central position among the prepared seats, sipped the tea that had been served while waiting for the others in the unlit conference hall.

Hummm—

Small lights began appearing in the dark conference room. The hologram projection devices prepared at each cushion activated, and one by one the Family's senior leaders appeared in holographic form.

Finally, with no empty seats remaining, the head butler of the Arie Family, standing beside Yuryeo, announced that all invitees to the White Lotus Council were in attendance.

"Hanul, Kaisar, Oracion, Luna, Hwamun, Byzantine, Han, Barkin, Cynthia, Liin, Partias, Theo, Hoaqin, Nasca, Fiesta, Habern, Chinparang, Pungbaek, Pahan, Helion, Carpe, Dikel, and Schmidt—all rulers and branch leaders are in attendance."

We greet the Sword of Arie.

"Thank you all for attending on time."

Over twenty holograms illuminating the dark conference room. Yuryeo surveyed them all and voiced the first order of business.

"What we want is only the 94th Floor, and we have no intention of waging an all-out war. This is Father's will as well. In other words, unless the Ha Family Head desires all-out war, this war will be confined to the 94th Floor as much as possible. But the real problem is the other wolves."

With those words, Yuryeo lightly gestured toward the pond in front of her.

At the very center of the conference room, one of the lotus flowers adorning the pond bloomed, scattering pink pollen. Yuryeo manipulated shinsu to move the pollen as she wished.

The pollen particles clumped and gathered, forming a new shape. One of those watching the emblem quietly, Dikel, spoke up.

The Khun Family?

"Correct. The wolves who would like nothing more than for the two of us to fight. Once this war ends, we'll need to focus on damage recovery for a while, and they'll have free rein. If things go badly, we may have to continue straight into the next war."

As everyone fell silent, Yuryeo continued.

"I intend to form a treaty with the Khun Family. Non-aggression, or whatever—we just need them to promise they won't target our backs and will keep their meddling moderate."

"Among you, is anyone willing to personally visit the Khun Family main house?"

I'll go.

The answer came less than a second after Yuryeo finished speaking. Yuryeo looked toward the source of the voice, genuinely surprised.

This was potentially a matter that would require meeting the head of a great Family in person to negotiate. Since members of hostile Families who met the Khun Family Head almost never returned alive, she'd assumed no one would volunteer readily. And yet someone had stepped forward without a moment's hesitation...

"...Hoaqin, how unexpected. You'll go?"

— Yes. The 78th Floor happens to be close to the Khun Family, so I'd be well-suited for it.

For some reason, joy and anticipation could be glimpsed beyond Hoaqin's eyes. She didn't know the reason, but since he'd volunteered so readily there was no reason to refuse, and no one else had stepped forward either, so Yuryeo nodded without hesitation.

"Very well. I'll entrust the negotiation with the Khun Family to you. You're the one who successfully concluded the negotiation with Lo Po Bia, after all. I look forward to good results this time as well."

— I'll do my best. When should I go? Can I go now?

"...Send a letter to the Khun Family first, and go when they've confirmed receipt. Normally it concludes with an agreement between Lord Eduan's close aides, but there's a chance you may meet Lord Eduan himself, so keep that in mind."

— ...Understood.