I got into school for nothing - Chapter 373
I got into school for nothing (373)
Lesson 73. The Tower of Babel's True Form - 3
As Ban Yuwon absorbed all the Constellations' concepts without missing a single one, the Tower vibrated violently and initiated a shift.
Of course, Stella's exercise of Authority just now must have dealt a shock to the Tower—it seemed as if chaos was erupting outside as well.
It was no exaggeration to say that everyone important to him was gathered outside right now.
Had it truly been right to send Cheonma to Fairytale? If his calculations were wrong, he would have wasted one of their strongest forces.
‘—No.’
He firmly believed that someone would undoubtedly target Fairytale.
With the Tower of Babel on the verge of collapse, in a situation where Earth was poised to become the sole world, and with all dimensional connections severed one by one, the fairies of Fairytale, who possessed the potential to even alter the very location of dimensions, were exceedingly alluring.
Therefore, leaving Cheonma, who was currently unmarked by anyone, in Fairytale to plan a counterattack was the most logical approach.
‘I’m counting on you, Father. Please take care of things...!’
At that moment, the Tower’s shift ended.
Ban Yuwon soon realized that the place where he and his teammates were located was exceedingly vast.
Moreover, considering it was inside the Tower, the mana density was excessively thick—this place was...
“Fides.”
“You know it well, successor.”
Turning his head at the familiar voice from nearby, Ban Yuwon slapped his own forehead.
Perhaps it was because he had called Cheonma "Father," but his real father had appeared there.
Although it wasn't certain if only his father truly resided within.
“Father...!”
Rucell, who had fully absorbed and digested all the concepts of the Ruler of the Forest, reaching almost the pinnacle as a Divine Beast, saw Ban Yuwon’s father, Ban Juseok, appear, and her fox ears, perked above her head, stood rigid in shock.
“Give us back our Father...!”
“Right, so it’s come to this.”
Sure enough, if you leave it to the Divine Beast radar, it’ll tell you the answer before you even finish reading the concepts.
Hearing Rucell’s growling voice, Asha and Aire, and even Stella, who had been lost in the sweet afterglow of revenge, instantly changed their attitudes.
“Oh, Father?! I’m Asha, and Yuwon and I are in a wholesome relationship...!”
“It’s Aire...!”
“T-To meet Father before Cellon, this is finally a chance to turn the tables!”
“I’m telling you, that’s not our father, you idiots.”
In truth, seeing Aire use honorifics was quite surprising, as it was the first time since she addressed Yumina, but he forcibly ignored it for now.
For now, it was more important to figure out the exact identity of the one occupying his father’s body, why Fides had been moved entirely into the Tower, and furthermore, where that Fides Family Head was.
“Where is the Fides Family Head? I know he willingly allowed himself to be absorbed into the Tower—”
“Oh, successor, you are still lacking. To think this place is merely Fides.”
At the voice of that entity, mocking Ban Yuwon in his father’s voice, he narrowed his eyes once more.
Merely Fides? If not, then what, Fides evolved by fusing with the Tower?
But then he soon realized that the mana flowing in this space was somewhat unstable.
This was a phenomenon one would only experience when mixing different magical powers together....
“So it’s combined with other parts of the Tower after all? But even so, the mana is too dense. It’s as if several S-rank dimensions have been merged together...”
“Oh, but your understanding was quite swift.”
The entity, wearing his father’s skin, grinned and assented.
“All the S-rank dimensions absorbed by the Tower have been merged into one. Though it goes against the Tower’s original purpose, it can’t be helped. First, we must eliminate all the ‘bugs’.”
It was clear that the "bugs" the entity spoke of referred to Ban Yuwon and his party.
Aire, unable to hold back any longer, tried to transform into a True Dragon, but again, Ban Yuwon desperately stopped her.
Not only would there be a time when the True Dragon transformation would be necessary later, but if she truly killed the entity with a breath attack, there was no guarantee his father would revive unharmed on the spot.
Even to rescue his father, he first needed time to analyze the entity.
If the entity bought him time with conversation, Ban Yuwon would be nothing but grateful.
“S-rank dimensions absorbed by the Tower... are you talking about Juventa and Fridwen?”
“Yes, yes, including those two, a total of three dimensions’...”
At that moment, Ban Yuwon read a lie from the entity and his mouth fell open.
“It’s not?”
“What?!”
“There are more dimensions? So, the dimensional fusion isn’t complete yet, and you were just buying time?!”
Leaving the entity, who was startled for some reason, Ban Yuwon, having realized something, instantly expanded the range of his Giwon Sword and began to read the flow of concepts throughout the entire area.
Then, to his astonishment, he realized that the mana density was continuously increasing.
Fusion was occurring in real time.
In other words.
The destruction of S-rank dimensions was happening in real time.
“This is insane... Is it Amore?!”
“You, how did you know I was lying?”
To Ban Yuwon, who cried out in surprise, the entity retorted with an even more serious expression.
But Ban Yuwon had no time to mind him.
If Amore was added, there would be no less than four S-rank dimensions superimposed in this space... and if something had happened to Ortima as well, it would be five in total.
He was certain that if that happened, even Ban Yuwon wouldn't be able to handle it.
He had to quickly finish off the entity and seize control of the Tower now!
And at the same time, to get his father back, ultimately.
He had to expand his Authority.
‘It has to be now.’
He had to use all the power he had left, right now.
Ban Yuwon, firmly resolved, instead seemed to lose his impatience, raising his Authority with a calm expression.
The entity, having taken over Ban Juseok’s body, instantly lost its composure, a stark contrast to Ban Yuwon.
“Tell me how you noticed my lie!”
The entity roared and stretched out a hand towards Ban Yuwon.
As if to prove it currently held control of the Tower, the world flipped, and hundreds, thousands of tons of earth that formed the ground surged up, forming a gigantic palm that swept towards Ban Yuwon.
It was an overwhelming scale, akin to facing the giant created by the Observer of All Things in the room where he had previously acquired the concept of sorcery.
“I’ll stop it!”
“Even a Divine Beast would struggle! Starlight—!”
Rucell transformed into a Divine Beast again, and Stella not only enveloped her in Starlight, but also hurled spheres of starlight she had created, detonating and collapsing the tidal waves of earth rising from all directions.
No, earth wasn't their only enemy.
The atmosphere, as well as all the mana constituting the world, was turning hostile and choking them, making it far more difficult and complicated to wield the same Authority and magic.
“No matter what, this is ridiculous! An entire S-rank dimension is becoming an enemy and overwhelming us?!”
“And that’s at least a 4-layer superposition, rejoice. Don’t you think today’s battle might be recorded in history books?”
To Stella, who was shrieking in terror and unleashing Starlight in all directions, Ban Yuwon, who had retorted playfully, opened his inventory.
What emerged from his inventory were no less than forty-eight identical swords, the Stormrain Sword’s ‘Raindrops’.
However, what was different from before was that the Authority of Ban Yuwon, dwelling in each ‘Raindrop’, was incomparably greater than before.
And that it was simultaneously ‘resonating’ and ‘amplifying’ that Authority.
This was precisely the final form of the Authority amplification device that Professor Campanella and Mira had completed with Ban Yuwon.
It was Downpour.
“Surely, that... is it modeled after this Tower? Just, just that size? Just that many strings of text?”
The monster, in the form of his father, continued to attack them frantically, yet sharply perceived the true nature of Downpour and cried out.
Ban Yuwon did not answer, instead shooting all forty-eight ‘Raindrops’ into the sky.
The entity, seemingly sensing unease, tried to suppress them ‘from above’ to stop them before that could happen, but the ‘Raindrops’, already sharing Ban Yuwon’s Authority, secured control over the surrounding magic, ignoring the pressure and only accelerating further.
“No, there’s no way he could have done it without the Tower’s support! Never—!”
“But ta-da, there’s no such thing as ‘never’ in this world!”
All forty-eight ‘Raindrops’ soared into the sky, until they were no longer visible to the party.
Then, a series of cracking, crashing sounds echoed, as if something was repeatedly striking somewhere.
The formation of dark thunderclouds in the sky was the next instant’s event.
“No, it’s impossible!”
Perhaps believing there was a limit to simply overwhelming them with the mana, atmosphere, and earth that comprised the world, the entity finally created a new monster.
Its immensely gigantic, ferocious beast-like appearance seemed familiar, and sure enough, it was the Fides Family Head.
—S-Save me...!
However, the face of the Fides Family Head, who was mumbling in terror, quickly became buried in flesh, and something clung to the entity, rapidly expanding its size.
What would it feel like to see a meatball with a diameter of 500 meters?
Ban Yuwon and his party were feeling that very sensation right now.
“This has gone beyond the scope of trials given by the Tower!”
“In a sense, we’re currently in the hidden side of the Tower. It’s like we’re battling an administrator who can freely edit reality.”
“So when is that Authority amplification happening?!”
Ban Yuwon was certain that countless lives were being added to that thing.
The thought that even the lives existing in the Fides dimension, and perhaps Fridwen, Amore, and Ortima, were being used to create that single monster, made him want to vomit.
The meatball grew progressively larger, until, at the moment it finally surpassed a diameter of one kilometer.
To his astonishment, countless legs sprouted from beneath it, stepping onto the ground and rising, then ripping up the earth and wrapping it around its body like armor.
Amidst the hardened earth, infused with all kinds of magic, countless eyes opened.
Ban Yuwon momentarily thought of the Pokémon Golem, then mentally chastised himself.
“Hiiiiiiik!”
*Thump.*
The world trembled with just one step from the entity.
The immense, chaotically mixed and heterogeneous flow of concepts that constituted the entity
raged like a storm, distorting and damaging the surrounding concepts.
It could be daringly called a weapon that destroyed the world merely by existing.
—Kwooooaahk!
“Not yet, Yuwon—?!”
“How are we supposed to fight a monster like that, huh—it even seems to have ground up Constellations!”
“I’ll stop it!”
“No.”
Ban Yuwon stopped Rucell, who was about to block the giant chimera, ready to face death.
“It’s all done now, Rucell.”
Rain began to fall upon the earth.
No, that wasn't right.
Infinitely fragmented particles of iron dust, imbued with Ban Yuwon’s power, were floating, making it appear as if rain was falling.
Particles, imperceptible to the naked eye, vibrated rapidly from all directions, amplifying his Authority in real time.
“So simply...? How...?”
Had the entity occupying Ban Juseok’s body felt it too? Unlike the chimera that merely charged forward, it hesitated and muttered.
“To give you an obvious answer.”
Ban Yuwon surrendered to the sense of omnipotence that came with his expanded Authority, rising into the air as he answered.
Campanella, obsessed with him, clinging to research, sacrificing sleep.
Mira’s devotion, always trying to cling to him yet secretly worrying about him and fretting.
Their images flashed vividly in his mind at this very moment.
“I gathered everyone’s strength into one.”
Or, it could also be said to be the result of diligently charming women.
“That’s impossible—!”
The Tower Lord’s will, superimposed on Ban Juseok’s body, roared furiously.
“Humans inevitably prioritize themselves in all matters! They would never willingly cooperate in creating such an omnipotent being! There must be a trap in some way, and thus, the state of an absolute being can only be reached by a perfectly complete individual, not by relying on others!”
“Aha—so that’s why the previous Tower Lord ultimately chose this method.”
It was a foolish and regrettable affair.
Because his own desires had been shattered by betrayal, Ban Yuwon’s ancestor had prepared a succession that utterly disregarded others.
“You’re not even a fragment of the ancestor. You were merely a lingering thought remaining in the completed Tower. When it seemed you would fail in the Tower’s succession, you hurriedly sought out and called upon another bloodline, but that wasn’t enough, and so you ultimately collapsed like this.”
—Kuh-aaaahk...!
Now, everything was visible.
He also had the confidence to return everything to normal.
[Collapse]
[Restoration]
The moment Ban Yuwon extended his hand forward, the chimera, which had been taking another step towards his party, stopped its foot in mid-air.
Then, as if it had never existed, it began to dissolve and vanish into thin air.
“Ah...”
“The chimera.”
“Phew.”
Considering the countless beings that made up the entity, it was a conclusion that could almost feel anticlimactic.
But that also meant the entity had been composed of equally chaotic and unstable elements.
If it had been his grandfather instead of his father, the chimera’s completion level would have been different from the start, and then, no matter how much Ban Yuwon amplified his Authority, this wouldn’t have been enough.
My father, even if his abilities are lacking, his quick wit is truly something else!
—Ah, ahh...
From the center of the chimera, which was rapidly collapsing and vanishing in an instant, Ban Yuwon, who had found the Fides Family Head sighing in relief, briefly posed a question.
“Who told you to do that?”
—Ortima...
Perhaps relieved that his soul hadn’t been defiled despite fusing with such horrifying things, the Fides Family Head obediently replied, then dissolved and vanished into thin air, just as others had.
Ban Yuwon sighed, a smile still on his face.
“Of course, I thought it was a bit suspicious that I ended up entering the Tower without even meeting him once.”
He now had one more reason to conquer the Tower and leave as quickly as possible.
Ban Yuwon now turned to face the lingering thought, left alone.
It was kneeling on the floor, as if all its vitality had vanished.
Perhaps it had finally been overwhelmed with admiration upon seeing Ban Yuwon achieve everything it had deemed impossible.
“I have a question.”
“...What is it?”
“If the Tower Lord valued himself so highly, it seems he could have thought of a way to preserve himself or resurrect. Why didn’t he do that?”
Asha, who had been silently waiting, flinched upon hearing those words.
She couldn’t help but recall her own ancestor, who had left behind his soul to be passed down through generations, ultimately attempting to usurp the body of his descendant.
“You state the obvious... He had already failed.”
“Hmm.”
“The successor, the heir who would inherit everything.”
The lingering thought raised its head, its expression somewhat distant.
“He wished for a perfect ruler, one without a single failure. He could not leave a flaw, himself, within it.”
“Indeed... To him, even I was a ‘perfect work he wished to create’.”
“Ha, haha... To read everything, to even grasp the emotions of others. In some ways, it is perfect...”
The lingering thought, acknowledging that Ban Yuwon had achieved everything he desired, suddenly bowed its head.
Ban Yuwon, who could even read the concepts forming the entity, watched as it lost its faint ego, becoming pure strings of knowledge and Authority, and silently accepted and absorbed what flowed from his father.
Ban Juseok, freed from the lingering thought and returned to his true self, had exhausted all his stamina by repeatedly unleashing Authority that his original body shouldn’t have been able to handle, and he collapsed on the spot.
“Master, Father!”
“Right, if I just give him a candy first... Khk?!”
—Kwoooong!
“...Of course.”
As if it had been waiting only for the battle to end, a crack appeared in the sky.
—Now, I truly have no choice but to capture and confine you! If I don’t turn you into a Constellation, the Tower will collapse today!
Soon, as the sky completely shattered and revealed itself, what appeared was the Observer of All Things, finally manifest in her true form, and.
—We have arrived, Tower Lordddddd—!!
It was a horde of True Dragons, accompanying the Observer of All Things.
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