I got into school for nothing-Chapter 336
I got into school for nothing (336)
Lesson 66. Irregular - 2
The aliens, adorned with flowers on their heads, called their world the Garden of Four Seasons.
Its unique characteristic was that the world was precisely divided into four seasons, and regardless of which season they belonged to, all children were sent to the Spring Shrine immediately after birth.
"And now, winter has completely vanished."
The woman, who was the only one to address Cellon informally, seemed to hold the highest status among the group; perhaps for that reason, the flower pinned to her head was exceptionally large and elaborate.
"Autumn is currently disappearing, and this is summer. Black specks have just begun to appear... and you arrived at that exact moment."
"It's understandable that you might have misunderstood. But as you've seen, we are just as hostile to it."
Ban Yuwon said, tapping the hilt of Myeol-yeom, which was currently sheathed.
"Do you know the source of this demise?"
The woman spoke again.
Instead of immediately replying "the Tower," Ban Yuwon counter-questioned.
"Source?"
"Yes, in the past, many dimensions were swallowed by the encroaching demise. The Tower at the center of the universe ——— and the one who built it ———."
The woman suddenly fell silent.
Ban Yuwon had experienced similar situations before.
In the ruins beneath planet Galahad in Asha's home D-13 Dimension, only specific phrases had been censored.
Although these people appeared to be truly living in this world, they were ultimately nothing more than fakes, NPCs, crafted by the Tower based on original information.
They could speak quite intimately about what they knew from their pre-existence memories, but even that had its limits.
"——The aftermath of their collision absolutely had to be resolved, and we were marked as the scapegoats. That's why stopping that thing was virtually impossible. And that's why I suspected you."
Their collision? Scapegoats?
He was curious about what came before that, but seeing the woman continue her speech, seemingly unaware that her words had been cut off, it seemed impossible to find out.
Ban Yuwon exchanged glances with his members, then faced her and nodded.
"You never know until you try. First, please prepare for evacuation. We will try to stop this demise here."
"Ah...! Thank you!"
Was this the standard way to clear this room? Unlikely.
The regenerating black specks—which he would now name the 'Black Demise'—were nothing more than an irregular phenomenon. Ban Yuwon surmised that the original shift condition for this room might have been to eradicate all life within it.
The higher one ascended the Tower, the more often missions were given that required one to detach emotionally from NPCs. Even then, to pass without harming them, one had to complete a task only slightly less difficult than a camel passing through the eye of a needle.
"Yuwon, I don't think I can do this..."
"Let's just do what we can. You don't want to simply follow the Tower's will, do you?"
"You dare provoke a Dragonoid's pride."
"Though that's why I like it," Eire added, her will burning brightly.
Asha and Rucell revealed their True Dragon Sword and spark-emitting gauntlets, respectively, steeling themselves to face the demise.
"Our opponent is an Irregular. If it seems like too much, retreat."
"No. We've finally gotten a chance to access the Tower's secrets. I'd almost rather thank the Irregular."
"Master, please share your strength."
Ban Yuwon nodded, resonating the concepts contained within Myeol-yeom with his companions' weapons.
Not completely, of course, but since he had intentionally excluded the concept of 'Death' from the start, the concepts of 'Severance' and 'Annihilation' were certainly shared.
This was why a party accompanying Ban Yuwon could be strengthened to its absolute limit.
...Though the prerequisite for that was a little embarrassing.
As a bonus, if his companions used their weapons to erase the Black Demise, he could absorb the concepts from it and immediately transfer them to Myeol-yeom, which Ban Yuwon was wielding.
Strengthening his companions and making his own farming easier, this might truly be the greatest Authority Ban Yuwon had achieved for party hunting.
"Alright, the specks will start appearing faster now..."
Ban Yuwon muttered softly, confirming with his Giwon Sword that the red maple land far beyond, likely the realm of autumn, was being swallowed by darkness.
As his companions nodded and scattered to their left and right, the woman, who remained in place unlike her kin who had already moved to the spring realm, looked at Ban Yuwon and asked.
"Might it be possible for me to receive the same blessing you gave your companions? Though my power is lacking, I wish to help you... Hee-eek!"
Upon hearing her words, his companions, who had each taken their positions high above, all turned their heads and glared at her. The female alien flinched in terror and retreated.
Ban Yuwon gave a wry smile and said,
"It's only something I can do for my companions. I'm sorry. Please take care of the children of the Spring Shrine."
"...Yes! I will definitely protect everyone, including Cellon!"
The woman bowed politely, then traversed the sky, relying on quickly extending tree branches.
The Black Demise appeared at that halfway point, but a slash of crimson flame shot by Ban Yuwon erased it at the perfect moment.
If he had faced something once before, whether it was living or inanimate, he could discern its location with Giwon Sword the moment it appeared and attack.
Watching the woman, who had paused in surprise, turn back to bid farewell and then continue her journey, Ban Yuwon thought, 'Just as I expected.'
It began as an Irregular event, but it seemed the Tower had begun to directly intervene with the Black Demise.
Still, if they could properly stop it here, the demise wouldn't spread to the realm of spring.
It shouldn't.
Even knowing it was a fabrication, he didn't wish for Yumina to face disaster twice.
[Master, I'm coming out too.]
"Shishishit."
"Alright then, I'll count on you."
The vassals he had personally created were convenient in that they didn't explicitly need him to share concepts; they could automatically receive the necessary concepts from him.
"Ta-da! Lilyth appears!"
In the air, a blue-haired girl appeared, wielding a long sword that seemed to resemble Myeol-yeom and Requiem half-and-half.
Characterized by her artificially glowing hair, she possessed a mechanical luster, which made her emotionlessly blinking silver eyes stand out even more. Her clothes were white with blue lines, as if the colors of the Union Academy uniform had been inverted.
"Do you really have to copy the uniform too?"
"This sense of unity is important! Ah, Big Sister Eve copied me again!"
"......"
Following Lilyth, Eve transformed into a completely identical appearance. The only variation she allowed herself was red lines on the white uniform.
For reasons unknown, she only ever transformed into the likeness of others.
That she could transform into a complete and unique human form, he had known ever since she swallowed Zenon's Orb two years ago, transcending the realm of mythical beasts to reach the realm of Divine Beasts...
If one were to strictly compare, her rank was now equal to Rucell's.
Since Rucell was in human form, it was natural that Eve could also transform into a human appearance.
"She's just shy, I tell you. It would be nice if she would boldly show her true self and be loved, like me."
"......?"
Eve remained silent, merely tilting her head.
Her expression was one of genuine bewilderment.
Lilyth, subjected to an attitude of 'You...?' from a face identical to her own, was on the verge of drawing her sword against her older sister—but before she could, the Black Demise began appearing like mushrooms after rain, all around them, preventing her.
"Tch, just you wait after this is over, Big Sister! I'll show off how I monopolize Master's love... Ahhh!"
"......!"
It seemed the Tower had truly begun its trial.
Ban Yuwon, who had looked up at the sky, wondering if a colossal eye was perhaps staring down at him from above, chuckled to himself, then gripped Myeol-yeom.
"Shall we begin?"
* * *
Approximately five hours passed.
The Rebellion members, borrowing strength from Ban Yuwon, seemed to be overexerting themselves, and began to take turns confronting the demise.
Following the Stormrain Sword that had gloriously sacrificed itself after completing its mission two years prior, Ban Yuwon summoned Stormrain Sword ver.2 from his inventory, newly prepared to match the concept of the transformed Myeol-yeom, and was erasing the black specks that were appearing simultaneously.
"Hss-s-s."
"Master, if you're tired, would you like to rest a little?"
Lilyth, still full of vigor, leapt through space, approaching him and asking.
Ban Yuwon shook his head decisively.
"What do you mean, at this level? I haven't even eaten a Candy of Life yet. I can last for several more hours."
He closed his eyes tightly and erased concepts like 'Weakness' and 'Fatigue' that he felt within himself.
This was an application of Authority he had never dared to dream of before. He had wondered if he could amplify or erase the flow of concepts appearing within himself if he could also literalize them, and after challenging himself, he succeeded.
Being able to create and erase even his own emotions at will in this manner, the side effect was a slight fear he felt towards his own Authority.
"Hoo."
"Ugh, you erased it again. That's a bit scary."
"......"
As Lilyth flinched in terror and tried to say something, Eve, who had appeared behind her, grabbed her and flung her into the air.
Lilyth, erasing the Black Demise that appeared precisely where she was thrown, flared up in anger, but, of course, Eve didn't listen.
She simply wore a hint of concern on her expressionless face, embraced Ban Yuwon once, released him, and then withdrew.
It was truly remarkable how different their impressions were, despite having identical faces as Lilyth.
"Thank you, Eve."
"......"
Eve nodded, then turned and leaped through space.
In the original timeline, by this point, the realm of summer would likely have been entirely swallowed.
However, thanks to Ban Yuwon's ability to erase the demise entirely, and his team members and vassals who shared and wielded that power, as the demise continued to be erased, the Tower began to deliberately pour out more of it.
Dozens of rain-like streaks busily traversed the sky, along with Eve and Lilyth, and the team members whose fighting spirits burned fiercely.
Feeling the concepts of Severance and Annihilation flowing into Myeol-yeom from all of them, filling it completely, Ban Yuwon narrowed his eyes.
"As much as it's dangerous, there's also much to gain. My only concern is the balance with 'Death'..."
The miraculous balance Myeol-yeom possessed was possible because 'Severance,' 'Death,' and 'Annihilation' were in perfectly equal balance, and that balance was enveloped by Prominence's transformed Authority, 'Incineration.'
But now, only 'Severance' and 'Annihilation' were surging in. So while there was no immediate problem, if this continued, it would truly run wild, becoming a demonic sword that would drag its wielder and everything around them into its madness.
But even that was a foolish worry.
—Death's Pupil smiles softly, saying she will fill in what is lacking.
After all, a Constellation that wielded the entirety of Death's energy was his contracted Constellation.
Originally, she had released all the power she could wield into her contract with Ban Yuwon, but from the moment the contract was made, the Constellation's Stigma, symbolizing her influence as a Constellation, and her unique Authority had been steadily accumulating, and she herself was in the midst of being surprised by it.
The reason was simple: as Ban Yuwon was a being who attracted the attention of the entire universe simply by existing, she could gain more power just by being his contracted Constellation.
——And perhaps the fact that he was the Tower's successor also played a role.
"Alright then, let's ask for your help later. Not here, but somewhere with less energy waste."
—Death's Pupil blushes and tells him not to smile so creepily.
It's nice that the Constellation message automatically reveals a part of her emotions even when she's not physically present, Ban Yuwon chuckled to himself, thinking so.
—Swish
He swung his sword again.
The black speck warped, then vomited out several concepts and disappeared.
At that moment, his companions exclaimed 'Oh?' in surprise and stopped in their tracks.
"What is this? It's not appearing anymore."
"No way... Did we really stop it?"
"Then the external demise too?"
That couldn't be.
It was simply that all the 'power' allowed for this room had been expended.
Seeing that the Black Demise no longer appeared, Ban Yuwon raised his head.
This time, he finally found the colossal eye secretly watching him.
And beyond that, a fluttering skein of golden thread descending by the Tower's will.
"It's the Tower's reward!"
"It's been a very long time... Indeed, it was a remarkable feat."
"Level, raised."
Rewards were given to the team members, and Ban Yuwon reached out his hand and collected his share of the reward.
[Life's depth has become 4,025, and Soul's depth has become 5,250.]
"Oh."
Ban Yuwon's eyes narrowed.
"To think the depth increased by 25. The adventure was worth it."
"Wow, what? We only gained 1 Level!"
"Gaining 1 Level at this current stage is still incredible, you know? Though not as much as Master."
"Ah, a shift..."
Immediately after the reward was given, a hasty shift occurred, without a moment to exchange greetings with Yumina's kin who had headed to the realm of spring.
So, was this reward truly meant as 'take this and get lost'? Ban Yuwon chuckled to himself, thinking.
Still, it was a little disappointing that he ultimately didn't get to see young Yumina.
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