Tower Of God: Life As Hoaqin Chapter 110 110: Arie Hon’s Trial (5)

You've got sharp eyes, boy. What is your na?

"...Cain. Arie Cain."

Good. Cain—co with . I'll put your na on the list of candidates for the Execution Force. Will you stay here, fighting other direct-line children until you're assassinated… or will you beco my attendant?

"...I—"

Rustle.

His tightly shut eyes opened just a fraction.

Cain was sprawled on the ground. The ceiling had collapsed, and the surrounding area was completely devastated. Through the gaping hole above, the dark night sky was visible.

After briefly surveying his surroundings and gauging his condition, Cain let out a faint sigh.

So I lost.

His entire body refused to move.

An Execution Unit Captain—fifteen hundred years old—defeated by a one-hundred-and-fifty-six-year-old.

There's no humiliation worse than this.

—Cain, why haven't you replied? What happened? Did you kill Hoaquin?

"..."

Cain tried to respond, but all he could manage was a weak breath leaking from his lips. He couldn't even move his fingers, let alone send a ssage.

His injuries were severe.

Recover first… then pursue Hoaquin—

No. That was impossible.

He wasn't even sure if he'd survive at this point. His chest burned with cold pain—he'd been cut deeply. His back was soaked with blood.

Pain.

Helplessness.

Feelings he hadn't experienced in a very long ti.

Chasing Hoaquin again was out of the question. His role on this stage was over.

Deciding to focus solely on recovery, Cain closed his eyes once more.

Leblanc… the fact that he knows her…

His thoughts drifted back to their final eting.

'Leblanc. Your talent is too great to rot away in a place like this. Co back to Execution Force Second Unit.'

'Thanks for worrying about , big brother—but I don't plan on going back. Just imagining myself working under those old n makes my face stiffen.'

'Watch your words. They're the ones who saved when I nearly died aninglessly… and took you in when you were forced to live as a puppet of other direct lines. Why refuse to follow them? They're worth devoting your life to.'

'The Execution Force are just puppets too. That kind of emotionless work doesn't suit —hehe. And besides… I've been enjoying taking care of kids lately. Especially since I've gotten close to so really cute little ones. Why don't you find a hobby too, brother? You've repaid your debt more than enough. From now on, live for yourself—not for the Elders.'

…Serving the Elders is the sa as serving myself. If that's your decision, then I suppose we won't et again.

'That's a sha. I wanted to spend more ti with you sotis. Take care, big brother.'

He could still rember her eyes when she said that.

That day, they went their separate ways.

Years later, he heard of her death.

He'd considered attending her funeral—but at the ti, he was far away on an assignnt for the Elders. Soone else handled it.

When she'd said she was taking care of children, he'd thought it pathetic.

That kid who beat … was he one of the children you passed by too?

…I miss you, little sister.

.....

"That's the Regular!"

"Report his position!"

Shing—

As he sprinted down the corridor toward the next staircase, a group of Rankers spotted him and drew their blades.

He skidded to a halt and unsheathed his sword.

Shuaa—!

The wide arc of his slash cut them down before they could even react.

He continued running through the long, irritatingly vast corridor when—

BOOM!

A massive explosion erupted from the side. The wall burst open, and soone's body tumbled out in front of him.

"Ugh!"

"Heh. You said you'd take us both at once—I expected more. Didn't you underestimate a Floor Ruler a bit too much?"

A familiar figure stepped out from the broken wall, sneering.

…Huh?

"Schmitt?"

"Hm? Oh! Hoaquin?!"

Dickel followed Schmitt out, his eyes widening in surprise.

"You're already this far up? Faster than expected. But… who did you fight to end up in that state?"

"So you're Hoaquin!!"

Slash—!

The Arie lying on the ground suddenly sprang up, eyes bloodshot, and swung his blade at Hoaquin.

The speed and force exceeded expectations—Hoaquin barely had ti to react.

"——!"

Klang!

Thankfully, Dickel and Schmitt intercepted the strike effortlessly.

The man unleashed several more slashes, but Schmitt nullified them all before Dickel sent him flying with a kick.

"…Who was that?"

"Execution Force First Unit Captain. Given your condition—and his strength—this isn't your stage. Go. Head upward."

"…Yes."

He'd barely defeated the Second Unit Captain—there was no comparison with the First Unit.

Watching Dickel and Schmitt pressure him so easily drove ho just how monstrous those two really were.

Hoaquin bowed lightly, then imdiately resud running toward the upper levels.

"Where do you think you're going?!"

Dozens of slashes flew toward him, but he redirected and countered while continuing forward.

Blinding light exploded as blades clashed from impossible angles, and he sprinted toward the end of the corridor.

The First Unit Captain tried to close in—but Dickel and Schmitt stopped him cold.

"Sorry—no, not sorry at all. Let make this clear."

"You're not taking a single step further. Not unless you get past us."

"That ans—"

"You're not chasing Hoaquin anywhere, brat!"

Arie Sword Art: Killing Form — White Sword Branches, Spreading Canopy

Arie Sword Art: Killing Form — Mount Tai Pulverization

Their blades erupted with radiant light, tracing intricate, beautiful arcs as they unleashed overwhelming power.

Individually, the First Unit Captain might have surpassed them—but one versus two was impossible.

Especially against a duo who once fought side by side in the Ancient War.

As Hoaquin ran onward, bodies littered the corridor.

The Execution Forces insignia—marked with the number 1—was emblazoned on their chests.

It seed the First Unit operatives had already been wiped out earlier.

…And they weren't the only ones lying there.

Bodies of Rankers lay scattered everywhere—Arie branch mbers, direct-line descendants, even outsiders, all mixed together without distinction.

Above, the ceiling still trembled as sharp sounds of Shinsu-splitting slashes echoed endlessly.

Half of them were risking their lives to help , fighting for change within the family.

The other half were risking their lives to kill , fighting for stability.

Looking at the corpses of those who might never have had to fight to the death if not for , I felt no particular guilt. If I wanted to live, this was unavoidable. And if half of those bodies had fallen while fighting for my sake, then I had even more reason to see this trial through to the very end.

No matter how much greater the damage beca from here on out.

I reached the end of the corridor and climbed the stairs. Wherever the upper-level warp devices were still intact, I used them, and in that way I ascended a great many floors.

And with each level I climbed toward the heights of the Baekhwa Sword Palace, I encountered countless people—those trying to take my head, and those trying to protect .

"As the head of Arie's Second Branch, I will take your head for the sake of the family."

"Ah! You must be Hoaquin! I heard about you from Dickel—forr ruler of the 78th Floor here. I'll handle the opposing branch head. Go on, hurry upward."

"This is the White Wolf Unit. We'll escort you up to the next level."

Enemies I still couldn't handle—branch heads, Floor Rulers, commanders of military units—were intercepted by allied figures of equal standing, buying the chance to move upward.

Countless Arie High Rankers led their subordinates according to their own convictions—so to help , others to kill .

With aid, cutting through enemies together, breaking away, suppressing the pain and sprinting with everything I had… repeating that cycle over and over, a great deal of ti passed.

Before I realized it, I had climbed quite high.

And just as much as I had ascended, I had been wounded—and exhausted.

Unlike earlier, when I could move endlessly at full speed, my pace had noticeably slowed. Too much ti had passed without properly treating the wounds from my battle with Cain, and now fatigue and injury were overlapping with the mysterious chronic illness that had plagued for a year, beginning to resurface.

Even so, there were still enemies ahead.

Silently, I continued cutting them down one by one with Baekya, taking step after step.

"..."

…My body felt like it was on fire.

The bleeding from Cain's attack had stopped, but in exchange, countless new cuts and several deep wounds had accumulated. My entire body, slashed and torn by blades, burned with heat, and my head throbbed painfully.

I shouldn't have taken that attack head-on. I should've conserved my strength…

"Found him! Report the position to the Elders and request reinforcents! We'll stall him as long as we can!"

"..."

Once again, a group of Arie Rankers charged toward from afar.

My body creaked from accumulated fatigue and worsening injuries, but I tightened my grip on the sword and swung with all my strength.

"…Ugh."

Blood surged up my throat again.

That technique Cain used—

The internal damage from it was far too severe.

Damn it. I should be grateful my heart was still functioning at all.

I hastily wiped the blood from my mouth with my white sleeve and continued unleashing slashes.

But this ti, the result was different.

Kagagak—

"…!"

The charging Rankers smoothly drew their blades, ford a formation, and blocked my attacks with ease.

Only when they got closer did I notice the number etched beside the sword emblem on their chests.

1.

Damn it. Fighting them in this condition—I might win, but I'd get cut to pieces in the process.

Execution Forces First Unit operatives closed in, pouring dense white Shinsu into their blades and unleashing multi-directional slashes. I hurriedly ford wings to block the attacks.

At the sa ti, I kicked off the ground to retreat—but once again, they drew out chains, refusing to let escape.

Chrrrk—

The chains embedded themselves into the ceiling, walls, and floor, forming a web-like encirclent, like spiders spinning a trap.

They ran along the taut chains with ease, surrounding in an instant and launching their assault.

Bang!

Bang!

Kagagak—

Seriously. In movies, enemies usually attack one at a ti.

These guys ca all at once—and worse, not even in sync, but staggered with deliberate timing differences, making them absurdly hard to deal with.

The only way to break these chains is to attack while in White Transformation.

The rebound is brutal—but if I want to escape quickly, I have no choice.

After blocking and deflecting their blades to create a small opening, I scattered slashes in all directions at maximum speed. A vortex of Shinsu ford around , cutting off their approach.

As I spread the violent vortex to briefly pin them down and prepared to activate White Transformation again—

KWA-KWA-KWA-KWA—!!

From above and to the side, sothing smashed through the wall and ceiling, forcing its way in with explosive force.

Two seconds later, its identity was revealed—along with a shout loud enough to boil steel.

"HOAAAQUIIIIIIN!!!"

Wait—why do I suddenly have a really bad feeling about this—

KWA-BANG—!

What burst through the wall was a small floating craft, barely large enough to carry a single person.

You've got to be kidding —did he just ram a floating ship straight into the outer wall?!

The hull, reinforced with Shinsu, wedged itself between and the Execution Forces, freezing everyone in place for a brief mont.

Shraaaak—!

A heavy, straight slash flew out from the cockpit toward the Execution Forces. They were forced to retreat a step, frantically swinging their blades to barely block the attack.

Then the hatch opened.

A massive, heavily muscled man erged.

He stepped in front of , then turned back with a wide grin.

"Hoaquin. Big brother's here."

"…Hyung?"

"Yeah. Long ti no see."

"I told you, didn't I? If you ever needed help, just call. But you never even sent a single ssage."

"…Haha."

One of the people Dickel had told about—the ones who'd searched everywhere for when I disappeared.

Arie Nayou, arriving in person… by floating ship, no less.

As I broke out in a cold sweat staring at the greatsword strapped to his back, the Execution Forces regrouped and hurled their bladed chains toward us.

Chrrrk—!

KANG—!

They were effortlessly blocked by Nayou's greatsword.

In a tower saturated with Shinsu—especially on the 100th Floor—wielding a greatsword was sothing only an Arie could pull off.

Nayou drew the massive blade, slamd it into the floor—

THUD.

"Yeah. I've heard everything. I'll handle these guys, so don't worry—just keep going up."

"…Haha. Why would I ever worry about you, hyung? Then I'll get going."

"Oh, by the way—Orca was here too, but I told her not to enter the main estate. It's dangerous."

"…Good call."

Yeah. That woman's scary. If I ran into her, I might actually get punched.

Pushing that thought aside, I turned and sprinted upward as fast as I could.

My body was covered in cuts.

My white clothes were soaked red.

My insides felt twisted, pain stabbing through with every step—

But I'd made it this far because people were helping .

And I would keep climbing—until I reached my father.

That was the only way I could repay them.

....

The space ahead was so dark it was hard to see even a step forward.

Relying on Luf's glowing Lighthouse, Hwarang, Yura, Asensio, and Cheonhwa had managed to make it this far.

After walking for so ti, Hwarang suddenly stopped and pointed ahead.

When Luf shone the light forward, a massive door stood firmly in their way.

"This is it. The place the Guardian Fla pointed to."

"…Figures. It's sealed."

Yura pressed a hand against the door, then shook her head.

"No way we can break this. Not Selection Candidates, not Rankers either. It's a door designed assuming a High Ranker intrusion—probably a special workshop construct."

Her assessnt was spot-on.

She was just thinking Guess Hwarang will give up now, when—

He stepped closer to the door.

"Hey, were you even listening? I said we can't break it!"

"I'm not planning to."

Like Yura, Hwarang placed his hand against the door, closed his eyes, and focused deeply.

Yura thought he was trying to gauge its durability—but then—

Hwarang's eyes snapped open.

And he spoke.

[Connect the path—Cheonghwa (Azure Fla).]

His voice echoed through the space.

Blue fire flared to life in his eyes.

Monts later, the flas engulfed his entire body.

Yura, Asensio, and Cheonhwa moved instinctively to stop him—but only Luf raised a hand, as if he understood what was happening.

Fwoosh—

The blue flas flowed down Hwarang's arm, into his hand—

And spread onto the massive door.

Fwoosh—

"…!"

The blue fire condensed into a circle—

Then flashed brilliantly.

A round passageway ford in the door.

A portal—just large enough for a person to pass through.

Everyone except Luf stared at Hwarang in utter shock.

Wasn't that similar to spatial transfer, sothing only an extrely small number of High Rankers could use?

As everyone stared at him, Hwarang scratched his cheek and shrugged, looking oddly embarrassed.

"This fla… turns out it's pretty useful."

Clearly uncomfortable with all the wide-eyed looks, Hwarang quickly stepped through the portal. The others, still dazed, followed him inside one by one.

....

The mont they crossed over, they were greeted by the sight of white-coated researchers rushing about frantically.

"Damn it—just because the Elders said one thing, everyone abandons this place?! What are you doing?! Hurry up and prepare to relocate the lab! We're moving to the Workshop branch on the 100th Floor! Secure the test subjects, gather all data, samples, and critical reagents—everything!"

"Yes! Um, Director… are those people over there the rcenaries you called?"

"Busy as hell and you're spouting nonsense—rcenaries my—huh? Y-you! Who are you people?!"

"…."

Only then did the researchers notice Hwarang's group standing blankly near the door. They flinched in shock.

That door was one that could never be opened without the Elders' authority or proper clearance.

The director quickly ca to a conclusion.

"Ah… as expected of the Elders. So you're the ones they sent. You—help the other researchers gather the materials. The test subjects are in Sector A-02. Go retrieve them."

He tossed a keycard to Hwarang.

Hwarang caught it… and said nothing.

His leisurely silence irritated the director.

"What are you standing around for?! Move, damn it—"

"You bastards… haven't changed at all. Not in a hundred years."

"…What? You little—don't tell you're—!"

Hwarang's face twisted with rage as blue flas erupted from his body.

The director was engulfed instantly—burned to blackened ash without even a scream—collapsing lifelessly onto the floor.

Sensing the situation, Yura, Asensio, and Cheonhwa imdiately trained their weapons on the remaining researchers, freezing them in place.

Luf looked at Hwarang with concern.

"Hyung… are you okay?"

About 130 years ago, Hwarang and Luf had nearly been lted down into living ignition weapons by the Workshop.

Luf had been unconscious the entire ti, but Hwarang rembered it all vividly.

That was why he couldn't endure hearing the word test subject again.

"…Haa. I'm fine," Hwarang said quietly.

"The fla reacted to one of the test subjects. Let's get them out and leave—fast."

"…Okay."

Hwarang scanned the keycard at the door marked A-02. A chanical chi sounded, and the door slid open.

Hwarang and Luf stepped inside.

....

Beyond it stretched a short corridor.

As they rounded the corner, they found two large test tubes, each taller than a person.

One was empty.

Inside the other floated an Arie girl, eyes closed as if peacefully asleep—subrged in fluid, her body riddled with tubes feeding countless unknown drugs into her.

Hwarang frowned.

"…They even used their own family mbers as test subjects."

Disgusted, he wrapped blue flas around his arm, ready to shatter the tube—

And then he felt sothing off.

…Why does she feel familiar?

His gaze dropped instinctively.

There—etched beneath the test tubes—were the subjects' records.

Hwarang hurriedly bent down and read them.

Test Subject–02: Arie Anna

That label belonged to the empty tube.

Heart pounding, Hwarang turned to the other.

Test Subject–01: Arie Albelda

At that instant, mories flooded his mind like a flashback.

"Oh, you're Hoaqin's friends? I'm Albelda—what about you?"

Back on the Hell Train.

Hoaquin, Maschenny, laughing together.

Hoaquin grinning proudly, saying his family had been chosen as Regulars.

The first video call—the first ti they'd t his family.

…They were supposed to have all died in the 99th Floor terrorist incident.

Hwarang's eyebrows trembled.

His lips moved soundlessly before he finally forced the words out.

"…Luf."

"…Yeah."

Luf had already figured it out. His expression was grave.

Amid the storm of thoughts crashing in his head, Hwarang finally found the words he needed.

"…I think we found them."

Hoaquin's family.