"Princess, may I suggest recomnding that individual for enlistnt into Zahard's Army…?"
The vassal, bowing deeply, failed to notice Maschenny's face. Her lips had curved—just a little, barely at all. Yet her pale complexion and usual chilling aura warped that tiny smile into sothing closer to a sardonic sneer. Even if the vassal had seen it, he likely would not have understood what it ant.
While he waited silently for her answer, Maschenny's mind was already running through countless thoughts—perhaps even more than monts ago when she had been calculating how best to expand her own influence.
Bringing Hoaquin into Zahard's Army, huh…
Would that be a problem?
"What problem? It'd be perfect."
If he joined the Army, it would benefit her enormously. There was no need to even discuss military strength. More importantly, Hoaquin would make the otherwise suffocating and fanatical atmosphere of the Army far more amusing for Maschenny herself.
If Hoaquin joined, and the two of them beca Rankers, she could simply incorporate him directly under her command. It would be convenient to move together.
But the issue was—
Would Hoaquin accept?
Maschenny absentmindedly tapped her chin with a finger as she pondered. She recalled what she knew about him.
Compared to when he traveled with Hwarang and Lif, he looked more worn out these days. But he was still bright, sly, and amusing. Without any lofty ideology like becoming a hero, he pursued the happiness of his companions—his family—and himself. Basically kind in nature. He sought fun, enjoyed traveling, and even while speeding up the climb of the Tower, insisted on visiting scenic spots or unexplored territories—anything entertaining.
His strength was intimidating, yet sowhere deep in his psyche he seed so fragile that a light push might snap him in half. That fragility sohow evoked a strange protective instinct in others.
That was the Hoaquin Maschenny knew: a warrior she admired, a friend with odd bits of cuteness mixed in. Annoying at tis, especially when he teased her, but still.
She organized these scattered impressions and made a final judgnt.
On the surface, Hoaquin seed similar to her—battle-hungry and sharp. But dig deeper and he was completely different. Stripping everything down to personality alone, Hoaquin was not soone who would willingly walk into Zahard's Army.
Then what if I invite him myself? Would he accept?
Maschenny pondered a little longer, then suddenly caught herself on sothing important—
She was considering his will.
For her, the will of others was irrelevant. "Princess of Zahard" was a position that allowed her to act unilaterally. She always had, and she had always believed that was natural.
Since when did she start worrying about what others wanted?
Annoyed by how complicated her thoughts had beco, Maschenny shot a glare at the unfortunate vassal who had spoken out of turn. Though bowing, he seed to feel the chill, shoulders slightly trembling.
"…I'll handle it myself. Next ti, don't overstep. Leave."
"Yes, Your Highness. Glory to you and the royal house of Zahard."
Only after he disappeared completely did Maschenny step onto her floating ship.
"Switching to auto-navigation mode. Destination: the floating fortress of the Arie Family."
—Command acknowledged. Searching for the nearest Arie Family Floating Fortress on this floor. Searching… Search complete. Setting route…
The core of the craft pulsed with light as its output increased. As the craft slowly ascended, Maschenny sank back onto a sofa-like seat and continued her thoughts.
? Inviting him? Don't make laugh.
.....
99th Floor — Arie Family Floating Fortress, Garden Walkway
After having coffee in the room, Dickel suggested taking a walk. So we stepped outside into the floating fortress's rest zone—its garden walkway. Suspended high in the sky, the artificial structure had been overgrown with lush nature. It was a literal aerial garden.
Small shinhe fish swam along water channels like rivers. Mid-sized animals lived carefree within the greenery, unbothered by our presence. I had never seen a place like this in my ti. For a mont, I beca lost in the peaceful, almost mystical atmosphere—like wandering into a deep forest.
But the mont Dickel spoke again, my attention returned to his story.
"A hundred and several decades ago, radicals loyal to FUG gathered here on the 99th floor—evading my notice as ruler. At the ti, their fighting force consisted of two High Rankers and fourteen Rankers. For FUG, which has remained dormant since the Great War, it was extraordinary."
Dickel continued his recollection, closing his eyes as he spoke about what happened that day.
....
The FUG '99th Floor Terror Incident'
During that night, in one of the inner districts of the 99th floor, only a single lamp hanging beneath the dark sky provided illumination. From the shadows, figures began gathering, one after another.
"They're all here."
A subordinate addressed a woman. She nodded once, then approached a cluster of figures cloaked in black robes.
Her voice rose sharply as she began her speech.
"When this night ends and daylight returns, our revolution shall carve itself into the minds of our brothers and sisters who still hide in the dark!"
She thrust her arm triumphantly into the air.
"For FUG's great cause!"
"For the cause!"
BOOOOOM—!
The mont the shout ended, floating warships hidden in the darkness revealed themselves and began firing their cannons—toward the testing grounds, and toward the floating districts of the 99th Floor.
It did not take long for word of their violent assault to reach the ruler, Dickel.
— The Examination Managent Bureau branch is under attack! Requesting support!
— Severe damage in the residential sector of the Inner Tower! Requesting imdiate assistance!
— We're under fire here too!
— Sa here!
— …!
Listening to the flood of radio calls in grim silence, Dickel closed his eyes for a brief mont as if collecting his thoughts. Then he shot to his feet and barked orders to the Rankers stationed in the floating fortress.
"Who among you will remain and defend the fortress?"
Several hands went up—led first by Arie Leblanc, then by several other Rankers who signaled their intent to stay behind. There was no sha in their choice; the enemy could just as easily target the fortress next, and everyone knew it.
After checking each volunteer, Dickel nodded and began assigning posts.
"Leblanc, you secure the area where the children are staying. Make sure any child still outside is brought indoors."
"Understood."
"As for the remaining Rankers—form teams of two or three and defend each sector!"
Leblanc's sector already had two Rankers posted there, so no additional reinforcent was needed. Given her experience in the family's Enforcent Unit, it would suffice.
Once Rankers were deployed throughout the fortress and defensive lines were set, Dickel drew his blade—
—then slashed through empty air.
Along the path of his strike, an enormous rift tore open—jagged and shimring. A spatial gate, opened through the authority of the ruler.
"The mont you pass through this rift, you'll be in direct contact with the enemy. Half of you engage their Rankers—the other half evacuate civilians and minimize casualties! And listen well—not a single FUG leaves this floor alive!"
"Yes, sir!"
"I'll handle the High Rankers."
With that, Dickel and the Rankers stepped into the gate. A flash of light swallowed them, and in an instant they transferred to where FUG was running rampant.
Despite their sudden appearance, FUG did not falter. They continued with thodical destruction, as if executing a well-prepared plan.
Shiiing—
The Arie Rankers would not stand idle any longer. Taking this terrorist attack as a direct challenge to the Arie Family, they drew their swords with fury.
In the next instant—white light flashed across the floor, warship cannons roared, shinsoo storms raged, and structures collapsed one after another.
It beca a battlefield of pure chaos.
"Die!"
FWOOOOSH—!
Dozens of shinsu chambers rose into the air and unleashed a barrage—rcilessly concentrated on a single target. Shinsu columns pounded from above, each one carrying brutal destructive force—but not a single blast touched its mark.
"Foul insects… what made you think you could set foot here?"
With a single sword, Arie Rom Dickel sliced apart every wave of shinsoo racing toward him as he sprinted toward the FUG Wave Controller orchestrating the assault.
"Ugh—! Aaaah!"
As if refusing to acknowledge the futility of harming him, the Wave Controller shrieked and accelerated the flow of shinsu.
A colossal blue vortex erupted around her—satisfied with the storm's scale, she regained her confidence and hurled it straight at Dickel.
The storm swallowed everything in its path, growing as it devoured. In seconds, it reached Dickel and surged forward like a crushing tidal maw—
But as it finally closed around him, Dickel ground his feet into the floor and raised his blade high.
Ignoring the jeers and taunts of the Wave Controller behind him, he tightened his stance—
Then brought his sword down in a single devastating arc.
Arie Style Swordsmanship — 3rd Wave, 7th Form: Splitting the Mountain
Light erupted from his blade.
It soared high—so high it looked as if his sword had grown to the size of a mountain, cleaving the heavens themselves.
And naturally—
the storm was sliced clean in two.
BOOOOOM—!
Losing its center, the storm dissipated pitifully. The Wave Controller blinked in shock.
She was a High Ranker. But so was Divkel—and rulers of floors do not earn their positions for free.
"Surrender quietly and die without pain—or resist, and die in agony."
"Hah! We do not bend to pain!"
"Good."
He launched himself forward, and the Wave Controller responded by firing dozens more chambers. Yet the power gap was stark. Dickel cut them down as if swatting flies, closing the distance rapidly. As leader of the attack force, she had only a painful death ahead—
When suddenly—
FLASH—!
"…?!"
A blinding flash burst forth—followed by a deafening blast that shook the heavens.
RUMBLE—!
Startled, Dickel turned toward the light's origin—and froze.
"W-what in the…?!"
A section of the family's floating fortress was gone.
Not damaged—gone.
Only the skeletal fra remained—proof that the explosion had occurred there.
And the area destroyed was—
the children's residential sector.
Frantically, Dickel activated his Pocket and called the one assigned to that area.
"Leblanc! Are you there?! Leblanc!"
"......।"
No response.
....
"And from that day on, the incident beca a deep trauma for everyone in this fortress. Without exception."
"The one who suffered most was you, of course… but back then, all of us felt as though we were living in hell."
Finishing his story, Dickel slowly opened his eyes, as though fully waking from his own recollections. He took a deep breath and continued.
"I did not kill the FUG Wave Controller— I captured her alive and interrogated her. As it turned out, there were FUG agents hiding inside the fortress itself. Four of them. And unfortunately, I had assigned Leblanc to the sector where two of them were lying in wait."
I had remained quiet the entire ti, but this ti I could not help speaking first.
"…And the explosion?"
"Three FUG Rankers infiltrated the fortress. Their mission was to wipe out every Arie child in the residence sector. Leblanc… fought them alone and fell in battle. And in the end, they achieved their goal."
At so point during our walk, the path had led us to an overlook. As if prearranged, both Dickel and I ascended the viewing platform together. Dickel stared into the distance as he continued.
"To be exact— only half succeeded. During the battle with FUG, Leblanc managed to send a warning to the children via Pocket. Thanks to that, so of the children woke up in ti and escaped. The quicker ones survived."
Dickel finally tore his gaze away from the scenery and turned to face .
"As for Vicente, Albelda, Anna, and the others who could not escape… the current official truth is that all of them died in the explosion."
He let out a bitter, crooked smile.
"But since you returned with Anna alive and well… we no longer know what the truth really was. We identified three of the infiltrators, but the fourth one remains unknown to this day."
With that, Dickel fell silent. I, too, said nothing. Only after a mont of quiet did Dickel take a cigarette from his coat.
"That is everything I am able to tell you. Your family was killed by FUG. As the one responsible for the fortress, it was my duty to prevent it— and I failed. If you wish to resent , or hate for it, you are free to."
"......"
"I'll take my leave. If I smoke here, the smoke will drift toward where the children play. Stay as long as you like."
He tapped my shoulder twice, lit his cigarette, and walked off into the distance.
I sat there for a while— staring blankly— then moved elsewhere.
....
Outside the Fortress — Near the Altar
"Hrk—! Khh—… ggh—…!"
My heart hamred wildly, pain tearing through my chest as though soone were ripping apart from the inside. A mouthful of blood spilled onto the ground.
Tch. Again…
Was it because my emotions flared? My trembling hand forced its way inside my coat, fumbling for the painkillers. Only after swallowing a handful did the agony finally subside.
"…Haa."
I did not resent Dickel. Resentnt, hatred— all of that was for FUG, the bastards who deserved to be torn limb from limb.
If anything, Dickel was just another victim of the incident. He knew nothing about why Anna survived unscathed, or what beca of Vicente and Albelda.
Which ant only one option remained.
Father.
I would have to et Arie Hon.
If the Ten Family Heads were truly as omniscient and omnipotent as the Tower believed, then surely he would know what happened to my family.
Yes… at the very least, he would know.
"…Haa."
I felt suddenly tired and let out a long sigh. Maschenny was supposedly on her way, and with my clothes stained in blood, I should probably change. Better that than worrying her unnecessarily.
I stood up to look for a change of clothes roughly my size. It was a simple thought— nothing more. Which was why what happened next was completely unexpected.
CLATTER—!
"…?"
A chain—where did it even co from?—suddenly wrapped around my arm. Before I could react, soone yanked the chain and lunged at , swinging a blade toward my face.
"Kh!"
Ambush? Enemy?
Reacting just in ti, the blade grazed my cheek instead of cleaving my skull. Seizing the opening, I pulled the chain to drag the attacker toward , drawing Baekya with my free hand to cut him down—
CLANG—!
Steel clashed as several more cloaked assailants erged from nowhere, blocking my strike. The chance to finish off the first attacker vanished as I fended off the newcors' blades.
During the brief clash, I finally saw their weapons.
White swords.
Which ant—
Arie?
"Stand down."
"…?"
A voice echoed from sowhere behind the assailants. At the command, they loosened the chains around my arm and withdrew several steps.
More cloaked figures appeared, slipping from the shadows without so much as a whisper. Only then did I realize— they had completely surrounded before I even sensed them.
One of them stepped forward.
"That crown, that face— you must be Arie Hoaquin."
"…."
So he was the voice who gave the order earlier. As he approached, he removed his robe, revealing a pale face frad by white hair and white eyes— the unmistakable traits of the Arie direct line.
If he knew who I was, then they had been looking specifically for .
He lifted the white chain in his hand.
"Arie Hoaquin. You are charged with treason against the family. Surrender, and you will be transported to the main estate with only this restraint. Resist, and you may be executed on the spot. Choose wisely."
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