Chapter 390: The Time He Waited, The Time He Walked (3)
The great slashes had adorned the world four times in total.
From the third slash, [humans] were finally born. People named the moment when this third slash occurred [Sword's Day].
In the fourth slash, [humans] who were originally [one group], were divided into countless [races], [countries], [cities], [villages], [clans], [families], and eventually, [individuals] were born. People named the moment when this fourth slash occurred [Sword's Era].
And time flowed on.
To differentiate from the Sword's Year, the Axe's Year, Spear's Year, Bow's Year, etc., were created.
To differentiate from the Sword's Month, the Armor's Month, Shield's Month, Bracelet's Month, etc., were created.
Similarly, to differentiate from the Sword's Day and the Sword's Era, countless days and eras were created, and these were further divided into countless minutes and seconds.
There were those who called these detailed naming of times the fifth slash, but it did not gain everyone's support. Regardless, these fragmented times began to revolve, each with its own season.
And finally, the moment came when the Sword's Year, Sword's Month, Sword's Day, Sword's Era, Sword's Minute, Sword's Second all meshed together like gears.
It was also the moment he was forged.
3.
Temples are generally the main halls where the gods who govern the laws of that world reside. Or they are sanctuaries created by banished gods to hide their bodies from other intimidating gods.
However, this temple was neither of those.
This temple was merely the shell of that god.
Clang!
Ruins.
Within the repeatedly flowing gears of time, and amidst the eternal winter that eventually arrived, the temple was nothing more than a decaying husk that could not be shed, hovering above the ground.
Clang
Clang
Clang
Within that shell, the sound of something solid colliding echoed.
Clang!
One of them was a small fist.
A fist clenched as if it was grasping the world itself, striking with a force befitting it. Clang…! With each strike, a shockwave that seemed to split the heavens and shake the earth reverberated.
Clang!
The other was a metallic fiend.
At a glance, the metal mass seemed to be blazing fiercely. It was that red. However, upon closer inspection, what fell from the mass with each punch was not sparks but rust. It appeared so intensely red because it was thoroughly rusted from end to end.
Clang!
The girl wielding the fist had golden hair.
It wasn't the thick color of thick honey. Rather, it was flimsy, as if scattering dandelion seeds in the air glued together.
Clang...!
Through the gaps in the golden wheat field that shook with each punch, two things stood like scarecrows that barely remained after a typhoon.
They were broken horns.
The girl was not human.
She was one of the oldest Dragon Emperors and one of the constellations with the widest territories etched in the sky.
"Are you the [Ox that Harvests Ruins]?"
Someone called the girl's title.
The girl's fist, which had been pounding the metal, paused momentarily.
The girl merely glanced aside. Her flimsy hair had enough gaps to easily see the caller through the eyes covered by her bangs.
The girl's lips twitched.
"Venomous Snake?"
"Yeah, you probably don't know who I am—what!? How do you know!?"
The man with gray hair, who had been leaning against the temple pillar and watching the girl with his arms crossed, was startled.
Clang!
The Ox that Harvests Ruins, Mutia, calmly answered while striking the metal mass again with her fist.
"What do you think are the virtues required of a god?"
"Uh… Sincerity?"
Venomous Snake responded reflexively to the sudden question.
Mutia paused her fist briefly, then nodded.
"You know well. It's proof that you've played the part of a god properly."
"Ah, I've struggled a bit… No, that's not it…"
"Being a god is akin to being a slave."
Clang!
Mutia struck the metal again with her fist.
"Thus, a good god is a good slave."
"Uh…"
"So, a Tower Master must be the best god for everyone."
Clang!
As the sound of metal echoed, Venomous Snake closed his mouth. The topic of the Tower Master was still something he did not fully understand.
Mutia continued speaking.
"I too am a good god, not as much as a Tower Master, though. And the virtue of a slave is sincerity."
Clang!
"That sincerity, which I momentarily lost and became complacent about, caused me to lose my horns."
Clang!
"The one who cut off my horns lived in the same world as you, and you even managed to hit him once. It's only natural to remember and be prepare."
"Hmm… I don't know if I should say it's an honor or be furious about that."
Venomous Snake scratched the back of his head.
Then, muttering 'Well, I suppose I have to accept that I claimed to be his rival,' he looked at Mutia.
"Aren't you going to ask why I came here?"
"You'll explain it yourself, won't you? Either in words or through action."
"Uh, I might… But you could also say something like, [—You came here for this reason, didn't you?], just like you guessed my name earlier."
"Why should I reveal my hand?"
"Didn't you say a good slave?"
"I said the virtue of a slave is sincerity. Foolish arrogance is the virtue of a fool."
Venomous Snake closed his mouth. Mutia also closed hers, so for a while in this god's husk, only the sound of God's fist striking the metal mass rang out—clang, clang!
Hesitantly, Venomous Snake spoke.
"Do you know what a hammer is? It would be easier if you used one…"
While speaking, Venomous Snake thought.
[ Hammer? What is that? ]
[ Ah, this is called a 'hammer'… It makes it easy to pound metal. ]
[ Amazing, Venomous Snake…! How can a place like the Lion World put such overwhelming technology and dedication even into something as simple as pounding metal…! ]
"Venomous Snake. That sounds so bad even to me, so can you stop?"
"I didn't say anything!?"
"You're thinking it."
"No… Thoughts are free, aren't they, even for a renowned constellation, that was just a violation of privacy… Hmm. Anyway. There is such a thing as a hammer…"
"This,"
Clang!
"is my horn."
Clang!
"I had to use my fist to refine my horn. Any other metal would be too soft."
"Indeed."
Having once lived among people as a god and acted as a blacksmith, Venomous Snake stroked his chin.
"Hmm… That's also why it's so rusted…."
"My horn can only be rusted by time. All other flames are too cold."
"Indeed."
Venomous Snake sighed.
"You said time is your power. So, only you can melt or break your own body?"
"That's right."
"It makes sense. But that's all it does."
Venomous Snake crossed his arms.
"It was Kim Gong-ja who cut off your horn."
Claaang...!
With a sharp sound, the metal struck by the fist let out a great scream.
It was a death rattle and at the same time, a birth cry.
[ Congratulations! ]
Unlike her usual calm tone, a lively declaration from the tower resounded.
[ An item of immeasurable grade! ]
[ You have created the 13th World-class Artifact! ]
This declaration was heard by Mutia, of course, and by Venomous Snake as well.
Venomous Snake tensed up. Regardless, Mutia stood up from her spot.
After shaking the freshly forged sword a couple of times, she held it up with a *chik* sound.
+
[Regressors' Harvester]
Rarity: World-class
Creator: The Ox that Harvests Ruins
Description: A sword of obsession forged from her own horns by The Ox that Harvests Ruins. This is the so-called [Time-Traveling Tracking Missile]. It might as well be called [The Absolute Regressor-Killing Missile]…. Terrifying. Those who die struck by this sword regress along with the sword. What does that mean? They die again as soon as they regress…. And if they regress again? They die again right away. Abandon all hope, ye who are slain by this sword…. That's what it means.
+
Venomous Snake swallowed dryly.
"…The reason I came here is because of a prophecy."
Mutia simply looked at the sword, silent.
Venomous Snake continued speaking.
"A real prophet, not a fake one, has appeared in our tower."
"...."
"The prophecy said, Mutia, that you would become a formidable enemy of Kim Gong-ja."
As he spoke, Venomous Snake activated a skill.
[ Activating Unparalleled Under Heaven. ]
His SS-grade skill, [Unparalleled Under Heaven], shows the predicted movements of the opponent. It essentially lets him see how the opponent will move next and allows him to respond accordingly.
It's a simple yet powerful skill. It's like seeing what the opponent will throw in rock-paper-scissors before you make your move.
Of course, even the simplest fight is more complex than ordinary rock-paper-scissors, more akin to subtracting one from rock-paper-scissors plus a game of tag. Nonetheless, or rather precisely because of this, if wielded properly by someone who knows how, the true value of this skill is immeasurable.
And, of course, Venomous Snake was someone who knew how to use this skill properly.
That's when it happened.
"So noisy…."
Mutia muttered as if chewing on the words.
Thinking the comment was directed at him, Venomous Snake bit his lip and prepared to take a proper combat stance.
It was a misunderstanding. Mutia's words weren't directed at Venomous Snake.
Mutia's eyes weren't even looking at him.
"Just say what needs to be said, like a savior."
"Um…?"
Venomous Snake looked puzzled, but Mutia did not respond.
Her gaze was fixed on the item description.
After a moment, the item description squirmed and changed.
+
Description: But that's too rigid, isn't it…? I, who handle the item messages, together with my sister, who handles the skill messages, dream of being a bit more humane, more approachable representatives. (Strong sense of mission) We will do our best to become a more proactive tower! (Sincere aspiration)
+
Mutia pressed her forehead.
"It's like it's gone crazy. It's just like the The Lady Who Walks the Mirage line."
"Huh? Lady? If you're talking about The Lady Who Walks the Mirage, that's my line…."
Venomous Snake straightened his chest as he spoke.
Mutia then glanced at Venomous Snake, sighed similarly to before, and raised her hand.
She struck down.
Boom...!
With a booming sound, the sword [Regressors' Harvester] that Mutia had just forged split into two.
[ What the hell!? ]
The tower's item manager was shocked.
[ You've just destroyed an ungraded world-class item…!? ]
Venomous Snake also looked stunned.
"What are you doing now..."
"That was never what I intended to make."
Mutia dusted off her hands as she spoke.
"Your talk of that bastard stirred up malicious thoughts. That's why it was created."
"...."
"Since it's already made. It might be fun to use it as it is made, but I am a representative of time. I cannot allow coincidences caused by myself."
And so, Mutia began to refine her horn once again, which had returned to its raw mass form.
Clang, clang! The sound echoed dryly within the temple.
Venomous Snake watched silently for a while.
"What were you trying to make?"
"Something that is not a weapon."
Clang!
"Something that would swing toward what is not alive."
Clang!
"Something that you arrogantly thought I might not know about."
Clang!
"I am making a blacksmith's hammer."
Venomous Snake was silent for a moment.
He asked.
"What will you use that for?"
"Anything."
Clang!
"I want to create a tool that someone can use, not something that uses someone as a tool."
Clang!
"That way, at least it will be better than that trash item just now—"
Clang!
"And it will get me closer to that bastard who broke my horn."
Venomous Snake took note of her answer and pondered deeply.
[ Cancelling the activation of Unparalleled Under Heaven. ]
Then, Venomous Snake asked.
"Need help?"
"Hmm?"
"Yeah. I've done some blacksmithing before… You said your fists were enough, but you never know, right?"
Venomous Snake rolled up his sleeves and grinned.
"After all, this fist almost pierced through that bastard's heart."
Mutia frowned.
It didn't last long. She snorted dismissively and then turned around and said,
"…Do as you like."
And so Venomous Snake did just that.
Clang!
Clang!
Different sounds echoed, and time passed.
Clang...!
A shockwave burst forth.
Like a crack forming in an egg, a gap appeared, and from within, a sharp, clear burst of light exploded.
And then.
[ Congratulations! ]
The temple began to collapse.
As if a shell, long ago shed, had finally accepted its fate to crumble.
[ An item of immeasurable grade! ]
Thud. Thud! The roof sagged, and the columns supporting the temple buckled. Initially, the surfaces of the columns swelled as if suffering from indigestion, and soon, they crumbled, spewing out dust.
The shockwave had brought down the temple from the inside.
[ You are the first to create an object surpassing World-class Artifacts— ]
It is said that everyone who set foot in the tower heard that declaration on that day.
[ Key formation complete. ]
However.
[ The constellations entwined with you have changed their ways of life because of you, and as a result, they can no longer exist in the same way as before. ]
The fact that another Tower's declaration, which only one person could hear, also resounded at the same time.
[ The 93rd floor is cleared. ]
The one who heard the Tower's declaration looked down at the collapsed ruins, at the eye-patched man joyfully holding a blacksmith's hammer and a girl with broken horns in the middle of it.
Then turning around, he slowly began to walk.
[ You are entering the 94th floor. ]
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