"Ugh…"
My head was pounding violently.
Where the hell did we end up?
"…Maschenny?"
I called out to her, but only silence answered.
"Family Head? Lord Eduan?"
Still nothing.
No response ant one thing—there was no one around .
Did sothing go wrong during the transfer?
"…I seriously can't even guess where this is."
No matter where I looked, the space was pitch-black, as if everything had been painted in darkness. Not a single ray of light entered this place—yet my own body was clearly visible, as though it were glowing on its own.
Thankfully, I could still use shinsu.
If I lifted my shinsu origin high and spread light—
Flash—
"…Still black?"
Sothing was wrong.
At this point, it wasn't that the surroundings were dark—this space itself was made this way.
There was no way this was the Bedroom.
No way it was the Peaceful Mountain either.
No hidden stage I knew of should look like this.
Then I started thinking through the original story's stages.
Not the Golden Do.
Not the Frozen Land.
None of the others…
Wait.
There was one.
The place where Wangnan obtained that mysterious sword.
A stage shrouded entirely in darkness.
Its na was—
The Cradle of the King.
As if to hamr the realization ho, a boy's voice ca from behind .
"Hey."
Not high, not low—a calm mid-range voice.
Yet it carried an overwhelming presence, a weight that made resistance feel aningless.
Though the difference in raw power wasn't vastly greater than Eduan's, Hon's, or Yurin's data, the rank of existence felt fundantally different.
On the Hidden Floor, there was only one being who fit that description.
The mont I turned around, suspicion beca certainty.
A blond boy floated in the air, looking down at —wearing a red cape, an eyepatch with three crimson eyes, and the attire of an adventurer.
The first—and greatest—adventurer of the Tower.
"…Lord Zahard."
"Oh? You recognize ?"
"You're famous."
Apparently unsatisfied with my answer, Zahard's data tilted his head.
So Zahard's data was here after all.
Which ant he was the one who brought here.
But why only ?
Where were Maschenny, Hon, and Eduan?
Did he intervene midway through the stage transfer?
"Where are my companions?"
"Hon and Eduan were sent to the Bedroom—the one Eduan selected. As for the Zahard Princess on your team, I have her with ."
"…But what's with that insolent look?"
Zahard manipulated shinsu, slowly forming oppressive pressure—as if such an attitude in front of him was unacceptable.
An insolent look?
I'd only been staring at him.
…Did my gaze change without realizing it?
I was irritated, sure.
I didn't care that he dragged here, but why involve Maschenny?
When I waved my hand, the crushing shinsu pressure vanished as if it had never existed.
I'd overridden it with my own control.
Honestly, it was ridiculous—he was the one who should be angry, yet he was the one posturing.
"Do I look that easy to deal with?"
"…What?"
"Everyone seems desperate to lay a hand on my friend."
Hoaquin-Style Shinsu Control Art: Judgnt Sword — Guillotine
Like an executioner's blade falling upon a condemned prisoner, a colossal shinsu sword dropped at terrifying speed, aiming straight for Zahard's neck.
A single Judgnt Sword—several tis larger than a normal giant shinsu blade.
Zahard looked up and raised one hand, palm open.
BOOM—
The blade was stopped—by his bare hand.
Holding it back with one hand, he calmly looked down at .
But he shouldn't have ti to relax.
If one isn't enough—add another.
A second Judgnt Sword fell from the exact sa coordinates.
Zahard's expression changed instantly.
"Impressive… but still li—gh?!"
Hoaquin-Style Shinsu Control Art: Judgnt Sword — Guillotine
"If it's light," I said coldly, "then I'll make it heavy."
The second blade.
Even Zahard couldn't ignore this one—he cut himself off mid-sentence to focus on blocking it.
Still not enough?
Then let's add one more.
Hoaquin-Style Shinsu Control Art: Judgnt Sword — Guillotine
A third blade descended, targeting the King's neck.
Zahard brought up his other hand—but it wasn't enough.
If adding one hand would've worked, I wouldn't have bothered.
Finally abandoning defense, Zahard deployed a counterasure.
Beside him, a massive golden sphere began to form.
Zahard-Style Shinsu Control Art — Golden Bullet
The golden sphere exploded upward with overwhelming force, destroying the falling Judgnt Swords.
This was my opening.
I drew Baekya, gathered shinsu into my feet, and launched myself forward.
The distance between us vanished in an instant.
As Zahard's golden bullet finished destroying the blades, my sword swung—aiming straight for his neck.
Zahard hastily drew up shinsu to respond.
Though his face was hidden behind the red tri-eyed eyepatch, I could feel his gaze locking onto mine.
He swung a reinforced fist toward —likely ant to knock Baekya aside.
Too direct.
It wouldn't even reach my blade.
My swordsmanship was the perfected form, infused with shinsu origin.
Within a dominion space, the impossible becos possible—even surpassing the limits of a sword with a sword.
His straight punch ca at .
I deflected it with Baekya—and counterattacked in the sa motion.
My blade rode up his arm, coiling like a serpent, and slashed across his face.
He pulled back just in ti, preventing a deep cut—
—but I'd struck exactly what I intended to.
"Shinsu origin… just what are you?"
Thud.
The red tri-eyed eyepatch, severed by my blade, fell to the ground.
Golden eyes were revealed.
Staring into them directly, I felt sothing unfathomably vast.
So this is what it was.
No wonder Bam couldn't grasp it back then.
Just facing him made my entire body tense.
"Release my friend."
"That is not for you to decide."
"…Hah."
A sigh escaped .
Zahard's eyebrow twitched slightly—but I didn't care.
"You don't seem to understand. My companions and I are Regulars here to register our data. If things go south, we can just die. Death only kicks us out of the Hidden Floor."
Threatening us with our lives doesn't work here.
Zahard smiled—baring sharp fangs.
An ominous feeling crept up my spine.
"You're correct. Under normal circumstances."
"…What?"
"I am the ruler of the Hidden Floor. Truly killing visitors is not difficult for . I reign above all—both outside the Tower, and here."
Zahard casually walked toward .
Every instinct scread to cut him down—but I restrained myself, forcing patience as he approached.
"You've complicated things. Since you caused it, you'll clean it up. Do that—and I'll release your friend."
"…."
What a pathetic ploy.
The Ten Family Heads' data were supposed to vanish—except for Khun Eduan.
Yet so had already left, while others—starting with Hon and Yurin—were choosing not to enter the mirror.
I didn't know why.
But the root cause was obvious.
The only difference between the original story and now was .
"So you want to deal with them?"
"Either send them back into the mirror—or kill them. The choice is yours. Of course, you may also refuse… but you'll bear the consequences."
My expression stayed casual, but my patience was gone.
I could feel blood vessels bulging throughout my body.
To him, I was nothing more than a convenient tool.
The surrounding shinsu trembled, responding to my emotions.
Zahard waited calmly, unfazed by the violent shinsu and killing intent pouring off .
"For a king… you're incredibly cowardly."
"A ruler must shoulder even the filthiest tasks for the greater good. Even hostage-taking—boring and cowardly as it may be."
That was the last straw.
As I reached for Baekya again, Zahard pulled out his pocket.
A screen appeared.
Maschenny—imprisoned sowhere.
Hwarang—talking with two others.
Luf—crouched alone.
"Not just the Khun girl. The Yeon child. The Tu Perie child. They're all in my grasp. With a thought, I can decide their fates."
"So—what's your answer?"
"I—"
At that mont—
A small crack ford in the black space.
CRACK.
"…?"
It grew wider.
A familiar presence began to leak through.
CRRRACK—
Lightning and silver shinsu tore through the crack, ripping the darkness apart.
Then—
KRAAAASH—!
A spear of lightning blasted through the Cradle of the King, carving a massive hole.
"…Tch!"
Zahard leapt back, summoning a massive golden needle and throwing it.
Lightning spear and golden needle collided, canceling each other out.
Blue and gold light flooded the space.
Then—a massive silver slash split the light in half.
The attack surged toward Zahard, faster than his retreat.
His hand moved to the needle at his waist.
With a swing, a divine sea creature manifested, intercepting the slash.
"Eduan. And Hon. I didn't expect you so soon."
Zahard raised his shinsu, entering a combat stance.
Golden aura radiated from him.
From the crack erged two figures.
One wrapped in lightning.
The other radiating silver shinsu.
Hon adjusted his grip on his sword, pointing it at Zahard.
"I didn't realize our great king had a hobby of laying hands on other people's children."
"…."
CRACK—
More than ten lightning spears hovered above Eduan's head, crackling violently—each aid at Zahard.
"Hey. Fake."
Give back my daughter.
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