Chapter 227
At that moment, outside the Sky Castle.
Merriott, who had fainted after blocking the massive beam from the castle’s cannon, struggled to open his eyes and let out a groan as he lifted his upper body.
Before he lost consciousness, he saw the castle’s cannon brimming with mana. But the fact that he was still alive meant someone had blocked it.
“…Who on earth?”
Furrowing his brows, he turned his gaze and saw Theo and an unexpected figure.
Merriott’s eyes widened in shock.
Pointing at the figure, he exclaimed, “The Pirate Empress?!”
There was a deep-seated grudge between the pirate fleet led by the Pirate Empress and the South. Yet here she was, coming to their aid!
“How did you get here…!”
“Save the greetings for later. The situation isn’t over yet.”
At the Pirate Empress’s words, Merriott stood up. The Sky Castle was still intact, hovering high in the sky, radiating a golden light that was ominous.
Fixing her gaze on the Sky Castle, the Pirate Empress continued, “The attacks stopped after that audacious guy went up.”
“…Audacious guy?”
“You know him, don’t you? Yan. Yan.”
Merriott’s eyes widened even more at her words.
“Are you saying Yan infiltrated the Sky Castle?!”
“Yes. But for some reason, the atmosphere changed drastically after he went up.”
Merriott struggled to stand and stared at the floating Sky Castle. Then, as if he noticed something, he squinted his eyes.
“I don’t feel the massive flow of mana like before.”
“Yes, it seems he did something…”
The Pirate Empress shook her head.
“I have no idea. Even with my senses, I can’t detect anything. At this distance, I should be able to sense it.”
“Have you tried attacking? It seems quite defenseless.”
At Merriott’s question, the Pirate Empress scoffed and gripped her curved sword. She swung it with all her might towards the Sky Castle.
A crescent-shaped energy wave, condensed with immense mana, shot towards the Sky Castle.
Swoosh.
As usual, it vanished before it could even reach.
“It’s the same. I have no idea what nullifies the energy wave.”
“No, I figured that out.”
“What?”
The Pirate Empress pointed somewhere on the Sky Castle. Squinting his eyes, Merriott looked in the direction she pointed.
“That is…”
The wall of the Sky Castle. Enhancing his vision, he saw the wall covered with dense symbols. They weren’t the characters used on the current continent, nor were they the runes used by wizards.
“I’ve sent over ten energy waves, and every time those symbols lit up, the energy wave vanished.”
“…How?”
“According to Yan, that Sky Castle or whatever it is, belongs to the Celestials. Haven’t you heard anything?”
“I don’t even know what the Celestials are.”
“Sigh, I was a fool to expect anything.”
The Pirate Empress shook her head. Just then, a powerful wave of mana was felt from behind, followed by an unfamiliar voice.
The Pirate Empress and Merriott turned their heads sharply. Through a blue portal that appeared out of nowhere, two figures walked in.
One was a middle-aged man with one arm, and the other was a handsome young man with golden hair.
The Pirate Empress quickly raised her curved sword and pointed it at the golden-haired young man.
“…Who are you?”
She could clearly feel it. The middle-aged man with one arm had a formidable presence she couldn’t ignore. As for the golden-haired young man…
‘…I can’t tell.’
It was like staring into an abyss with no end. The Pirate Empress’s eyes deepened as she looked at the golden-haired young man. She began to gather mana, ready to create a ‘domain’ if he tried anything foolish.
Just then, Theo intervened between them.
“Wait a moment!”
He introduced the middle-aged man.
“This is Argon, Yan’s father and the former commander of the Revolutionary Army.”
“Argon? The man who organized the Revolutionary Army?”
Merriott frowned. The middle-aged man, Argon, smiled slightly and bowed his head to the two.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Argon.”
“…It’s absurd that the former leader of the Revolutionary Army appears while we’re fighting them.”
Merriott turned his head, grumbling. Then he noticed the Pirate Empress sweating and staring intently at the golden-haired young man.
“Are you…”
“Who are you?”
The Pirate Empress interrupted Merriott and asked the golden-haired young man. But he ignored her question and looked elsewhere. From the moment he set foot here until now, he had been looking at only one place.
[…Fortunately, it’s not in perfect condition.]
When he ignored her question, the Pirate Empress’s eyes flashed. Her aura began to boil like an active volcano, and her curved sword was already at the young man’s neck.
“Answer.”
For the first time, the golden-haired young man turned his gaze to her. But it was only for a brief moment. He snapped his fingers.
Snap!
Instantly, a golden magic circle appeared beneath the Pirate Empress’s feet.
“…!”
It swallowed all the mana she was emitting. Despite experiencing such an event, she couldn’t even open her mouth. Her body had turned to stone, unable to move.
The Pirate Empress’s pupils trembled violently as she looked at the one who had subdued her in an instant. Amidst this, a young voice and an incongruous voice flowed into her ears.
[Call me Momon, kid.]
The golden-haired young man, Momon, left a confusing introduction or insult and asked Merriott.
[Did Yan go inside there?]
Seeing the Pirate Empress subdued in an instant, Merriott nodded unconsciously.
[When?]
“Th-that, I’m not sure…”
“About thirty minutes ago.”
Theo stepped in and answered. Hearing this, Momon frowned.
[This is bad.]
“Bad? What do you mean?”
Argon, grabbing his sleeve, asked with wide eyes. Momon clicked his tongue and spoke.
[If he went straight to the Sky Castle without any information, he’s probably undergoing a ‘trial’ by now.]
“A trial?!”
[Sigh. It’s not something I can explain.]
“Then, can’t we just shoot down that strange castle ourselves?”
Argon asked urgently. Momon sighed deeply and looked at the Sky Castle.
[If you attack the Sky Castle during the trial, it’s like saying you’ll kill Yan. That’s why it’s bad.]
* * *
“You flailed like a fish out of water and finally got caught.”
Aquinas chuckled as he confirmed that Yan had entered the ‘Gate of Trials’ on his own.
The ‘Gate of Trials’ was originally a treasure prepared by the progenitor of the Celestials for future generations, but it was abandoned due to its 99% mortality rate.
Normally, it should have been sealed in the deepest part of the Sky Castle, but Aquinas used it as a trap to capture Yan.
If one fails to pass the ‘Trial,’ their mind is obliterated. However, the mana in their body and dantian remains intact, allowing it to be fully absorbed by the White Flame Jade, making it a tool Aquinas had no reason not to use.
Of course, there is also the possibility of passing the ‘Trial.’
“Ridiculous.”
The ‘Trial’ was so fiendishly difficult that only those among the Celestials who showed signs of becoming transcendents could pass it. Even among those, only a handful had succeeded over thousands of years…
“If he had the potential of a transcendent, I would have known.”
At the same time, two people came to Aquinas’s mind.
Outsiders who had entered the Gate of Trials and emerged unscathed.
One was the ‘Founder King,’ hailed as the savior of humanity, and the other was the ‘First Tower Master,’ known as the lord of magic.
Thinking of them, Aquinas let out a small laugh.
“Unless you possess something as extraordinary as they did, you’ll end up as nothing more than food for the White Flame Jade.”
Yan might be clever and slightly more talented than the current superhumans, but…
That alone would never be enough to pass the ‘Trial of Self,’ where one must prove themselves among countless versions of themselves.
* * *
A young man observed the unfolding situation within the trial, letting out a sigh.
“After continuous observation… all of them are versions of ‘me.’”
This young man was none other than the first ‘Yan’ to enter this city.
When he first arrived, the place was devoid of any signs of life. As he explored, he stumbled upon a presence and witnessed an astonishing sight.
It was none other than a duplicate of himself entering the city in the exact same manner he had.
Even the words spoken were identical.
“This is a real city?”
At first, he thought it was an illusion. But after repeatedly attacking and throwing daggers at his other selves, he realized the truth.
“They’re all me.”
It wasn’t just their appearance that was identical. Their thought processes, skills, even their minor habits were all the same.
Shocked by this impossible phenomenon, he returned to the place where he first entered.
Hours passed. During that time, he observed everything happening in the city.
The third ‘Yan’ ambushing the fifth ‘Yan.’
The twelfth ‘Yan’ being chased by the twenty-third ‘Yan.’
The ninety-ninth ‘Yan’ hiding near the entrance, just like himself, after witnessing a distant fight.
And finally, nearly eighty ‘Yans’ entering the city and using stealth to observe the situation.
The first Yan, having witnessed everything, concluded that a change was necessary.
“Since there’s no 101st, it seems 100 is the limit.”
With no new ‘Yans’ appearing, he knew that if he made a move, all eyes would be on him. Now was the perfect time.
Despite knowing that there were eighty ‘Yans’ hiding around him, he dispelled his stealth technique and stepped out slowly.
At that moment,
Zap!
He felt the tingling sensation of countless gazes on him. All of them were third-rank superhumans like himself, so it was no surprise.
Yan shouted towards the other Yans who were observing him.
“By now, you all must have realized the situation. We’re all the same ‘me’!”
The gazes around him began to fill with killing intent.
“That means further fighting is unnecessary.”
The first Yan, feeling the intense killing intent, smirked.
“So let’s all come out and talk.”
This was the only way Yan could think of to change the situation.