WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ SSS-Class Revival Hunter ◈

Chapter 311: The Next World (1)

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As dawn was just taking its first steps on the horizon, changes occurred to the spire.

The land was dark, and the surroundings were silent.

"Hmm."

Perk.

The Grey Spider, who had stayed awake with me through the night, pricked up her ears. We could not be said to stand at the very center of darkness, but we were at the very center of silence. Even the movement of her ears was clearly audible.

"She's calling."

The Grey Spider narrowed her brows and gazed at the spire.

"Excuse me?"

"Me... No, not me. She's calling you, King of Death."

"Who's calling?"

I followed the Grey Spider's gaze towards the tower. The massive iron gate remained closed. There was no sign or sound of anyone, be it Uburka, who had gone to suggest surrender, or the spiders deciding to capitulate. Nothing was present at the door.

"I don't see anyone."

"She's already standing at the door. Alone. I do not know the full extent of what you can do. What you used against me was probably only part of your hand. But the same applies to you. Do you imagine you have seen the entirety of the Magic Tower's thousand years?"

"I see."

I understood. I nodded and unfolded my crossed legs.

"You're right. It would hardly be surprising for one of the spiders to possess a skill that [turns the body invisible] and another that [erases one's presence]."

"One of your virtues is that you catch on quickly."

"I'll be back. Is there anything you want me to tell them?"

"[Thank you for staying. Thinking about the bastards who deserted makes me want to swear. But let us curse the bastards gathered outside instead.]"

"How concise."

I headed toward the spire. The Magic Tower's 1st Headquarters was surrounded by a moat, and a glass-clear drawbridge connected its gate to the land outside. Once I stepped onto the drawbridge, I saw a faint shadow spread across the glass like soot.

"Did you call for me?"

Someone was standing directly before me, even if I could not see them.

"......."

The invisible figure stared at me for a long while.

“...Do not move your lips. Use voice transmission.”

Finally, she spoke.

"Not too strongly. Just enough for me to hear. We can’t afford to have our conversation eavesdropped."

"It is rather difficult to direct voice transmission at someone I cannot see."

"Difficult doesn't mean impossible. Please do it."

I shrugged.

"Done. Even the Elder among your people would find it hard to eavesdrop on this conversation. Now, please speak freely."

However, the invisible witch couldn't speak freely.

After a long silence, she finally spoke.

“…Are you Uburka's father?"

"Ah, that's good."

“…What is?"

"You asked whether I was Uburka's father instead of asking whether I was the King of Death. That means Uburka has made himself rather important to you somehow. You could have called him 'that bastard' or 'that pig,' but you respectfully used Uburka's name and even called me his father."

I nodded.

"Uburka must be doing a good job persuading you. Or perhaps he has already done so. But your attempt to meet me secretly instead of formally sending a surrender envoy means... that some minor trouble has arisen. Am I wrong?"

"......."

The invisible one was silent for a while.

“…We listened to Uburka's story well, carefully, and seriously."

“Hmm.”

"We learned what kind of being you are. We took this long because we were verifying if those stories were true or false…”

I tilted my head slightly. I could sense tension in her voice.

As if she were afraid of something close at hand. Why was she so tense?

“We did not sit idle. We dispatched an investigation team to the Lion World at once. Following the route Uburka gave us, they contacted the Dream Demons, and we saw the history of what you did as a god, King of Death.”

"Why are you so nervous?"

“What?”

"You’re trembling. You're scared. What's wrong?"

“Are you serious?”

For the first time, the invisible one laughed. It was a laugh of incredulity, not amusement.

"Why am I scared? I’m scared of you, of course"

“Huh?"

"In my dreams, I saw you with a thousand elite soldiers in black cloaks under your command. I saw the Earth Spirit warriors, thousands of Asuras, willing to follow your bidding. And… even the sight of Constellation Killer submitting to you."

"......."

"And you ask why I'm scared? You, who could easily obliterate us, the 50th floor, and establish your own millennium empire if you wished?"

The invisible one muttered, "This is insane."

“...I ordered the investigation team to remain silent. Most of our children still do not know how formidable a Hunter you truly are.”

"So you’re the leader of the First Branch. Have you decided to surrender to us?"

"Yes, but there's a condition."

Condition.

"What is it?"

"We surrender to you and to you alone, King of Death."

Her voice through telepathy was clear and decisive. An invisible tone, void of any hesitation or doubt.

"We will never surrender to the rabble like the Anti-Magic Alliance."

"......."

"You alone treated other races as true friends. At the very least, you did everything you could to treat them that way, even persuading your companions to do the same. Yes, I admit it. If it is you, if we are defeated by you, then our defeat has [meaning]. But not by them!"

The invisible one was not seen.

Yet, I could fully sense her pointing and glaring over my shoulder, grinding her teeth.

"Is there even a single innocent person among those who stepped on this 50th floor! Oh, sometimes there were those who sinned less. Such kids willingly joined our tower. You see, King of Death? We will never kneel before those bastards!"

It was the same thing the Grey Spider had said.

"......."

I thought for a moment and then spoke.

"So, you intend to leave the people of the Anti-Magic Alliance empty-handed."

"Yes. They never deserved to gain anything in the first place. They were able to claim even a share only because of you. I will not let bastards like them feel, even mistakenly, that [we won]."

The invisible witch's words were resolute.

"Yes, we have not lived good lives either. I admit it. But only Uburka, you, and the warriors of your world have the right to humiliate us! We will kneel to you as much as you please, but not to anyone else. Never."

"What did Uburka say?"

"He said, [It's a difficult task]. And he recommended talking to you. I'm here because of Uburka's advice."

Of course.

That would be expected.

"…Happy endings are always difficult."

“What?"

"To protect something precious. Whether it's a grudge, pride, or anything. The world is like this, not because there are many who have nothing more precious than life, but because there are many who have something more precious than life."

"What are you talking about? ...Is this some Zen riddle? That sort of thing is not to my taste."

"I understand what's precious to you."

I was mentally prepared.

"So you don't have to kneel in front of the believers."

There was a brief pause.

As if she couldn't believe my words.

"…Really?"

"Yes. Open the door, cross the drawbridge, and go to the World of the Lone Child. My children will guide you well there."

"......."

"But… Please walk across this drawbridge."

I also set a condition.

"You may not simply teleport from inside the spire to the Lion World without showing yourselves at all. If you mean to surrender only to me and truly cannot kneel before the followers, then at least show them the courtesy and mettle required to cross the drawbridge."

"Surely… there won't be anyone attacking us while crossing the bridge?"

"I am the King of Death."

I spoke calmly.

"If you understand what kind of being I am, you should also know the weight behind my name. You can trust that promise."

The invisible one was silent.

"…Okay."

But eventually, she acquiesced. She must have had no choice but to nod.

It was just, really, simply walking across the bridge. What's so hard about that? The spiders who worked at the First Branch must have crossed the glass drawbridge countless times.

It shouldn't be difficult.

"Then, in an hour."

"Yes. Come out in an hour."

I bid farewell and returned.

"......."

Upon my return, the Grey Spider was glaring at me with an expressionless face.

I, disregarding the stare, plopped down next to the Grey Spider.

"Smart aleck. You’re always scheming."

"You are the one in overall charge, Elder. You should at least know how matters are unfolding."

"So you lied to the branch head? You said, '[Even the Elder would find it difficult to eavesdrop on this conversation],' when you had transmitted your voice to both of us from the very beginning."

Indeed.

From the beginning, I had allowed the voice transmission to reach not only the invisible branch head but also the Grey Spider. Thanks to that, the Elder knew the full sequence of events.

"How was the sound quality?"

"Damn good, you little shit."

"Do I seem a bit different to you now?"

The Grey Spider looked up at me.

The look she had given me when I casually mentioned Uburka's past had grown a little more intense now that she had overheard my conversation with the invisible witch.

The Grey Spider lamented, "Is it all real?"

I crossed my arms and puffed out my chest.

"Yes. I am the King of Death."

"Not that, you dumbass."

"You mean the thousand elite troops in black robes who obey me without hesitation, with countless Earth Spirit warriors and thousands of Asuras behind them? I have two rivals. One commands a thousand elite troops in white robes, battle fiends who rule over 256 colors, and some shabby ponytailed punk. The other has none of that popularity, but the original Sword Emperor chose him, so he is simply an absurdly powerful old man."

"No, not that, you damn jerk."

I puffed out my chest even more.

"Or is it about me wielding the immortal glory as a sword, subjugating the blood-red Demon King, and even having the Constellation Killer, the 'season boss' of this 50th floor, under my command?"

"Aargh, not those [trivial] things! Damn, you're such a sly one!"

Unlike the invisible witch who expressed fear of my power, the Grey Spider dismissed it as [trivial].

"Powerful bastards. Bastards who command heaps of powerful bastards... Living a thousand years, you see countless [ordinary strong] ones. Why couldn't we subjugate all the constellations under the tower? Because of those fake god bastards worshiped by the fake gods, the Mahos-led group of voyeurs watching us from the 50th floor while munching on popcorn."

The Grey Spider ground her teeth.

"It was slightly unexpected that you took in the Constellation Killer, but that is because he was not one of those commonplace strongmen! The Sword Emperor was different because he was not one either. But you... You know what I mean."

Hmm.

"Really?" 

Yes.

"Seriously?"

Indeed.

"King of Death, you..."

The invisible witch had been too focused on my power to fully realize, but the Grey Spider, even from a distance, had precisely understood.

With a groan, she asked, "Between the 30th and 40th floors... you didn't rule as a god?"

I nodded.

"That’s right."

"Unbelievable!"

The Grey Spider exclaimed.

"That you're such a person, no, that such a person exists! Until now, no one..."

"Yes. You could say that."

I spoke to the witch.

"You can believe that. Think of me as a liar, consider what the first tower reported as a misunderstanding, dismiss it all, forget and move on. That's certainly an option for you."

"..."

"Or you might choose something entirely different."

The Grey Spider clenched her teeth.

She leaned towards me but stepped back simultaneously, ending up in an awkward stance, neither approaching nor distancing.

I waited.

After a while, looking alternately at the tower, the encircling forces, and the brightening dawn, the Grey Spider muttered like a cornered beast.

"......The Dream Demons, or whatever, showed your tale to them in their dreams."

"Yes."

"......Show it to me, too. Let me see it, and then... No. First, just show it to me."

I nodded.

"That I can do."

And so, I did.

Dawn was slowly crawling up the sky.

The sound of dawn climbing was the sound of followers stretching in the Anti-Magic Alliance's tents and temporary buildings, of Apostles preparing themselves, of a child crying somewhere, and of livestock calling out.

"......Yeah."

And it was the sound of a thousand-year-old magician saying, "Yeah."

"......"

The Grey Spider's eyes were blurred.

Not just because she had just woken from a long dream aided by the Dream Demons.

"......I..."

After a moment, hiding her face, the Grey Spider began to speak.

"I never wanted to protect my sisters. I just wanted to find and kill the man who impregnated my mother, burn his village, destroy his domain, topple his nation, and set his continent aflame. Suddenly, I found myself surrounded by my sisters."

Her words seemed to flow out on their own, not from her tongue but just from her slightly open lips.

"I had no sense of responsibility. But responsibility was mine. When I thought about it, a bastard who refuses to shoulder responsibility where responsibility exists is someone like my father, or like our divine kin. I became the ruler of my people so that I would not become like them. I founded the Magic Tower."

The promised morning.

The iron gates of the spire creaked open.

"I had no aspirations in life. I just wanted to avoid becoming like that. To not resemble him. To kill those bastards. Looking back, I realize I've always lived with that as my sole focus."

The Anti-Magic Alliance's followers started to murmur.

The murmurs took every form. “Are they truly surrendering?” “Damn it.” “Let's see just how brazen a face they show when they come out!” “It is over! We won!” Tens of thousands of people poured out their own emotions while maintaining the encirclement and watching the spire.

"The Sword Emperor was the first."

Hundreds of spiders walked out through the gap between the iron doors.

"In a thousand years, he was the first person who made me want to become like someone else instead of remaining myself."

The spiders carried no white flags. The crowd's many different murmurs gradually converged. “What?” “They have no white flags.” The spiders walked with proud strides and did not bow their heads. “...” They came straight through the iron gate with their eyes fixed ahead. “What is this, really?” They looked as if they had never been defeated.

"He was light."

The Grey Spider's voice was not heavy either. But that was because it no longer contained anything at all.

"That man seemed to hate nothing. It was no act. I have enough discernment to recognize that much. Yet he was not particularly virtuous either. He was not the kind who burned with impatience to help other people. He was simply... light. Like the wind."

Her anger, contempt, malice, and even the thick hatred that had filled her until I showed her the dream were gone.

"I wondered whether it was possible to live like him. Deep down, I thought it was not."

"Kneel!"

"It's impossible. Impossible. Such a life is impossible for me, and for anyone else."

"Kneel!"

"That the Sword Emperor was just a unique exception."

"Kneel!"

"But then, it seems”

"Kneel!"

"That wasn’t the case."

"Kneel!"

The spiders of the First Branch started to step onto the drawbridge. Thud. The glass-clear drawbridge did not sway precariously even beneath hundreds of footsteps.

"Even if that life differed from the Sword Emperor's. Even if it was his complete opposite. Even if it was heavy. Far too heavy."

"......"

"It was possible to live another life."

While we watched, the spiders of the first Branch crossed the bridge with dignity.

Their dignity grew closer, and the fury of the followers grew hotter. 'Kneel! Can't you kneel?!' 'Those creatures!' Some even tried to throw rotten fruit or trash they had found.

"You don't have to do this."

I said.

"Thank you. That might be possible."

The Grey Spider lowered her hands from her face.

"I spent over a hundred years thinking the Sword Emperor was a special exception. I can spend over a thousand years thinking the same about you."

"......"

"I was not wrong. I did my best. I did. I did. But..."

Saying so, she laughed through tears.

"But isn't that too embarrassing?"

And then.

The Grey Spider slowly knelt.

"......"

The spiders of the First Branch halted.

Not just them. The Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Branch' spiders watching anxiously, the frenzied Anti-Magic Alliance followers jeering around, even the regular hunters who joined the non-festive festivity, all froze.

"I'm sorry. I apologize. I was wrong."

On behalf of the hundreds of spiders who had refused to kneel, the greatest spider, the monarch of all witches, and the godslayer who had never knelt even before a god lowered her bandaged body until her forehead touched the ground.

Quietly.

"My millennium was wrong."

The city fell silent.

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