WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
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◈ SSS-Class Revival Hunter ◈
Chapter 304: The Grey Spider (3)
──────
The spiders froze at the sight of my smile.
"......."
"......."
I have met many individuals with long life spans throughout my time.
It is possible to overcome the limits of life inside the tower.
There are humans who have survived over a hundred years and constellations like Hamusutra who have wandered for tens of thousands of years. I realized one thing after meeting them.
Fear is constant.
“This is troublesome.”
I smiled brightly.
“If you keep standing there, I'll come to you first, you know?”
My feet were quicker than my words.
I dashed out, and in the next moment, a spider hiding in the rubble let out a short scream, “Heek.” We locked eyes at close range. She was a freckled member of the Witch Clan. I pressed her pressure points whilst I gave her a reassuring smile.
“Ah…”
“No matter how eternal it feels, a thousand years is hardly eternity.”
I hummed.
What was the meaning?
Nothing.
“A red flower takes ten days to fall. The Magic Tower's autumn merely took a thousand years.”
The spiders scattered across the city were listening to my every word.
Desperately trying to find meaning in them.
That’s enough. If it creates even a little confusion, I’m willing to feign leisure and spout these cryptic phrases.
“Ah. I should have worn a black robe. This is the historic scene of a thousand-year demonic path bringing down a thousand-year Magic Tower, yet I neglected my wardrobe. Well, that's a minor detail. My master will surely laugh it off.”
“Retreat!”
A commanding spider shouted as if spewing blood.
“Retreat! Retreat! 33rd Battalion, even for a moment, stop that monster!”
“Retreat, but where to…”
“Regroup at headquarters! We have no answer for this! The Elder has to intervene!”
Objectively, the tower still had the upper hand in power.
Since the battle began, I’ve taken down just over a hundred enemies.
But I targeted the commanding figures, disrupting their leadership. The spiders, relying entirely on telepathy for communication, lost their means to oppose me once their wide-area network, the 'web'was torn apart.
[The constellations’ quest progresses.]
[The Warhorse of the Eternal Plains orders the followers to advance!]
It signaled a divide and conquer strategy.
[Quest progress. The Eyes Dwelling in the Labyrinth reveals the enemy's escape routes.]
[Quest progress. The Bell That Rings for the Dead posts the identities of those who lost their lives in past rebellions throughout the city.]
[Quest progress. The Incarnation of Love and Lust exposes the identities of spiders ranked viscount and above.]
As soon as it was clear that the campaign was advancing, the constellations promptly provided ‘adequate rewards’ and ‘appropriate motivation’ to their followers.
The reason they hadn’t urged their followers before wasn’t due to a lack of will to resist the tower.
In the end, it’s the humans walking on the ground, not the stars in the sky, who clear the quests. The constellations respond as their followers advance.
“Hahahaha! This is incredible! I apologize for ever treating you like a rookie, King of Death! How long has it been since we could use telepathy as much as we pleased? Good, good, good! This is the best! I am the high priest of [The Whip That Falls upon the Self-Tormentor], the Constellation you spider bastards buried in Fourth Headquarters! I am the Apostle [Berserker]!”
A hunter who had joined the rebellion in the underground cave roared.
“Return my constellation! You bastards!”
“…They kept chanting 'Sword Emperor, Sword Emperor,' but I never imagined it would truly amount to this. Honestly, I was half doubtful... Yes. This may really be our last chance. Everyone, as Babbit's apostle, I command you. Even if fighting is not your strength, rise up prepared to stake your lives.”
“Splendid.”
The sound of the two sides had been reversed.
The web, like a barrier over the monopolized city, was disassembled piece by piece.
Apostles of numerous constellations whose voices were suppressed for ages, seized control of the city. The north, the west, the south, and the east. In open pubs and lined-up taverns, blue, red, yellow, and white auras rippled like waves. These ripples overlapped, shaking the city's sky.
“Hiding underground and whispering in each other's ears ends today.”
Whoosh! Something resembling a firework shot into the sky.
It was a strike packed with condensed aura. It wasn’t a sniper shot like mine which aimed for commanders. In fact, it targeted no one in particular. The rocket headed for ‘the sky’.
And it split the lower edge of the dark clouds.
It was weak. A feeble strike, embarrassingly so when compared with the Constellation Killer. But a sword's worth is always determined not by the strength gripping its hilt, but by what its blade cuts. In that sense, the firework launched by the Apostle of the Warhorse of the Eternal Plains was unquestionably precious.
“Let’s go, cavaliers.”
Light leaked through the split clouds.
“Follow the King of Death, the Sword Emperor’s successor.”
The city erupted in cheers.
“Damn it, you vermin!"
A spider raged.
“We retreated because of that guy, not because we were afraid of you insects! Where do you bugs get off talking like that? Just wait, I’ll show you…”
Ah. There.
I launched a sword strike.
“What!?”
The spider's voice jumped in surprise. Along with the sound of the building collapsing, the spider’s frantic bouncing could be heard.
“Hey, you bastard with no professional courtesy! Why attack while someone is talking? While they're talking! Huh? You just wiped out my entire platoon with that! Unbelievable. Wow, damn it, are you really the Sword Emperor's successor? Huh? You've done nothing but smile away this whole time! That smug face of yours is simply oozing obnoxiousness. You're the Sword Emperor all over again! Ah, shit!”
I struck once more.
“Shit!!”
With that scream, the voice ceased.
The commander, who thought she wouldn't be targeted just for transmitting telepathy, was gone. The brave soul who held onto command despite knowing her fate was also gone. And the lunatic who, even though aware of their impending doom, wanted to curse till the end, had just made their exit.
Only one role remained.
“Right. This feels familiar.”
Only someone strong enough to let down their guard, gripping a commander's baton they could not relinquish, and deranged enough to keep cursing until the very end.
“It's a familiar kind of shittiness. Your face is different, but that obnoxiousness reminds me of 'that bastard.' Honestly, it's astonishing. You're insufferable in a completely different way, yet every bit as insufferable.”
Without hesitation, I attacked in the direction of the voice. And then, boom! For the first time today, my attack was neutralized in mid-air.
“May I ask…”
In the distance, through the clouds torn by the rocket.
Her finger was pointed amidst a ray of sunlight.
“Where did you learn such a shitty attitude?”
Behind the finger.
An expressionless face gazed down from the shadows.
Her hat's brim was so long and wide that not a single ray of sunlight could penetrate through.
“If there’s a specialized hospital for removing shitty attitudes, please let me know. From my point of view, that’s the root of all evil. If cockroaches keep crawling out no matter how much you stomp, there must be some academy breeding them somewhere.”
The Elder.
Liberator of the Witch Clan, Niglus-Kukulu.
Destroyer of the five races. Master of the forsaken Greys. Godslayer. The witch who drove nails into six Constellations. The greatest Spider. Master of all spiders. A hunter who bore so many aliases that counting them was meaningless. Alongside the already dead Sword Emperor and the Constellation Killer, who was as good as dead, she was a human whom even Constellations regarded with awe.
"......."
I smiled.
No matter how many aliases she carried, it didn't matter. I had already decided what to call her after hearing the old stories from Guardian Spirit.
“Pleased to meet you, 'Grey Spider'."
I called her as planned.
“I am known as the King of Death."
"......."
Ha, a short scoff escaped her.
“The King of Death? More like the boss of the underworld. You should fall into hell and play king there, kid. Why crawl out here and cause chaos?”
“Ah. It already feels like hell being alive, so there’s no need to go to the underworld.”
“You're a bastard who never lets a single word go unanswered.”
“If I'm 'three meals,' does that make you 'two meals,' Grey Spider?”
"What....... ......What?"
The Elder seemed momentarily at a loss for words.
I shook my holy sword and smiled.
“Joke, joke. A department-head joke to ease this chilly atmosphere.”
"......."
The Elder twitched her lips, then looked down on me with disdain, followed by a realization. Quite a variety of expressions could be seen. She placed one hand on her forehead while holding a staff in the other.
“A true lunatic. Damn…”
Why does everyone I meet look as though they've realized that, in the whole vast universe, the single word that describes me best is "lunatic"? It is deeply puzzling, a true mystery, and yo, Mister Lee, our friend Captain Lee.
“Please understand.”
I shrugged.
“I am the Sword Emperor's successor, am I not? I have been pretending to be a lunatic as a piece of method acting while imitating him. Normally, I am not this bad.”
“You're definitely not his successor.”
Hmm?
“I've seen your swordsmanship. Your aura control is skillful. But you're different from that Sword Emperor bastard. There’s venom in you. Yes, you harbor poison in your heart.”
While speaking to me, the Elder’s gaze wandered around.
‘Aha.’
Of course.
Right now, the constellations are encouraging their followers with quests. But these quests are based on the premise that I am the [Successor of the Sword Emperor]. If it turns out that I have nothing to do with the Sword Emperor, starting with [The Incarnation of Love and Lust], the quests will have to be halted immediately.
That’s why the Elder is speaking loud enough for everyone to hear.
‘Smart.’
A pinpoint attack.
The Elder clicked her tongue.
“Swordsmen, do they call it orthodox and unorthodox? Even I, uninterested, can see. King of Death, you naive child. You’re walking the path of unorthodoxy. The intent in your sword is completely opposite to his. How could you be his successor? Yeah, right.”
The silence of the followers was palpable. They either halted or continued fighting, all while listening to the exchange between the Elder and me.
[The Incarnation of Love and Lust looks troubled.]
The constellations, too.
“The Sword Emperor is dead.”
A giggling laughter adorned the sky. The Elder's laughter caused the tail of her broomstick to slightly shake, mocking the restlessness of the constellations.
“Suppose that bastard left behind a secret manual and trained a successor. Fine. Perhaps his disciple exists somewhere! But you, King of Death, are not that disciple.”
Let’s wait a bit more.
“The Sword Emperor's will is carried on by you? What was his will? To rebel against our Tower? Ha. If that's the case, thousands of you would be his successors!”
"......."
Just a little longer.
“Vermin. Constellations are always like that. Ah, there’s never a decent one among those self-proclaimed gods. Even though they know it’s not true. Even though they clearly know it won’t work, they still try to advance the campaign, bringing in some kid and making a fuss about the Sword Emperor's return…”
“Hey.”
Yes.
“You losers.”
Now’s the time.
“Sometimes you need to get some air. Staying cooped up all day like you guys isn't good for you.”
There was hesitation.
“Here, consider this a favor! I'll give you a free remodelling today!"
"......."
“I'd usually laugh [Haha] at this point. But even as a master of method acting, I can’t laugh like that. There’s a certain dignity humans should maintain, right?”
The gaze.
I could feel her looking at me. When eyes truly meet, and only the exploration of each other matters, time seems to stop. Everything else becomes insignificant.
Until a moment ago, the Elder was fully focused on bringing us down. Speeches, provocations and schemes. She was ready to relentlessly attack our weakest points, buying time for the retreating spiders, making followers doubt the constellations, and ultimately winning the war.
All that became insignificant.
“Hey.”
Among the countless names she possessed.
I chose the nickname only the Sword Emperor had used.
“Grey.”
"......."
“Are you still living like that?”
Showing the Sword Emperor’s expression, tone, and smile.
“Why don’t you ever change, whether it's a hundred years or a thousand?”
“I think that’s also a disease. A disease. You're basically challenging the world. You think you’re losing to the world if you change? I'll call this disease the 'Grey Disease' from now on. Consider it an honor.”
“You."
You, the Elder said.
“You..."
“Haha."
"......."
“Or so I would say.”
I smiled.
“I’m just kidding. It’s a joke.”
"......."
“How about it? Was it a bit funny this time?”
And then, I saw.
The clouds swirled over the city due to the immense flow of magical power. The spiders retreated to the spires, flinching to look back, gazing up at the sky. The sight of five spires vibrated, causing an earthquake throughout the city.
I saw many things, but.
“Okay.”
They were insignificant.
“I wanted to see that look in your eyes.”
The moment I raised my holy sword.
The magical power raging through the sky descended upon me all at once.
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