217: Piece of shit - Mccms内容管理系统

Piece of shit

"So what will it be, black challenger?" Maba asked, keeping both fearmongers enchained using the Tower System.

[What a fool. Treating the Candle as a piece of wax shows just how ignorant of its true powers he is.] Valinar commented, [But he seems to have used it somehow. There is no way a guy like that passed one of my tests so…. Don't tell me he used souls to temporarily unlock a part of the Candle's powers?]

'Shut up or help me think of a plan. Now is not the time to debate about the how and what's of why he has it!' Aito replied mentally, feeling the pressure of everyone's lives on his broad shoulders.

Spreading his Domain, he couldn't feel Maba's presence, only the two fearmongers that turned out to be both level 3, something he could handle. It seemed the moderator was still underestimating his abilities. Still, there were two level 3 fearmongers. One was already difficult to deal with. Two? Now could be a hassle.

He frowned and put back the Candle piece in on his pouches.

"Do you even know how valuable this wax is?" Maba asked, seeing him being uncooperative. "To give you a hint, you could probably buy an entire county with it or more. Would you imagine my surprise when my wax piece vibrated when you took out yours? At first, I had my doubts but… seeing your face now is plenty enough to erase them.

"Now, let me tell you the smart choice to make. I'll only repeat this once, so listen carefully. Drop your weapons, surrender, and give me your wax piece. After that, everything will go back to normal. I'll plead your case to my cousin, leave you to actually deal with the original 10th Floor's quest, I'd even like to partner up with you when you'll enter Iris. Learn what you've learned about the wax.

"I'm a curious man in search of knowledge, after all. What'd you think? It's not such a bad offer, isn't it? It's a win-win situation. You give me what I want and I give you what you want. I'll tell you what, I'll even make the 10th Floor quest easier. It'll be our little secret. That wouldn't be so bad right?"

From what he knew of the man thanks to Gwen's knowledge, Aito understood one thing, the Candle piece was extremely important to Maba. If it pushed him to bend the laws of the Tower to this extent, then it could only be so.

"Gods fuck your ass," Sheyla stepped forward, an arrow nocked on her bowstring.

Ogoro shook his head. Grinning, he deployed his wires and drew his sword. "Stop yapping. We don't have all day. Let's get to it."

"Ha… hotblooded siblings." George conjured his water bullets as well as a water cannon.

Albeit Aito, the other challengers readied themselves for battle, all looking at the monsters they faced without fear.

"Haha. AHAHA!" The moderator burst out laughing, the sight of those challengers trying to rebel was so ridiculous he couldn't help himself. Suddenly, he closed his hand and pulled.

—Active Skill: Item Control—

George and Sheyla were immediately propelled forward, the equipment they wore inexplicably attracted by an unknown force. The Goliath caught the water mage in its bulky hands, before pressing him to the ground and stepping on him.

The Paineater grabbed Sheyla in its tentacles strangling her, keeping a firm grasp on the ex-assassin.

"Stop it!" Aito exclaimed, clenching his teeth. "Elizabeth, Lucius, Ogoro, Sam! Lower your weapons!"

"But—" Sam started.

"I said lower your weapons, baldie," Aito interrupted, his gaze firm and voice rock.

"Are you sure… about this?" Lucius asked. When no response came his way, he released his grip, the other challengers soon followed.

Thud!

Staff, spear, and swords fell on the floor at his command. Aito looked towards Maba. "Release them and I will give it to you."

[No! What are you doing!?]

'Shut up.'

The moderator smirked. "Drop your ax first."

Sheyla who was clearly uncomfortable being held by tentacles, shouted, "Don't it give to him! You cannot give him that!"

George would have sent her a quizzical gaze if he weren't being squeezed by a giant monster. Only the siblings were aware of what the Candle did. His boss had yet to brief him on that matter.

"Fine," Aito violently hammered his ax into the marble, remaining oblivious to Sheyla's words.

"Well, see. It wasn't so complicated! Now slowly come forward, and give the candle piece to the Goliath," he said, making a moving gesture. Despite having the advantage, he still remained cautious of the black challenger. After all, he had seen his monstrous strength that, honestly, was almost on par with his.

Step.

Aito slowly walked towards the moderator, digging into his pouch to take out the candle piece.

Step.

The Goliath opened its big grey palm.

Step.

Sighing, Aito handed over the candle piece against Valinar's wishes. Her multiple complaints disappeared from his sight when the Goliath grabbed the wax.

"Now release them," he said between his clenched teeth.

"Sure thing, but first," Maba grinned, taking advantage of the situation to have a little fun and erase a bit of the grudge he had against the black challenger, "kneel before me. Only then will I release them."

Aito calmly got to one knee, then the other, while staring daggers at the moderator.

"Lower your gaze, black challenger," Maba said. "It's unbefitting of your situation. So face against the ground and only rise your head once I tell you to."

Ogoro was horrified by his team leader's reaction. He had never seen him act so obedient before. The proud and monstrous black challenger was now on all four. All because… of them.

"What the fuck are you doing!? You look so pathetic!" Sheyla exclaimed, struggling to free herself. "Why is your face down! Get up! Get up now! Get up! Get… up…." Tears poured out her eyes as she stopped fighting. "It's not like you to be so pathetic. So please… get up. Just get… up. Don't sell your dignity for us..."

Aito's body slightly trembled at those words. But he kept his head down. No matter what, he kept his head down.

Grinning from ear to ear, Maba reveled in his easy victory and finally took a step forward, wanting to admire closely his personal achievement. How couldn't he, when a person he hated was submitting himself?

"Give it up, woman," Maba said. "What's so wrong about the black challenger wanting to survive? It is only in human nature to seek survival above anything else. Leave hi—Oh! Is that… is that the gift from back then!? Ahaha! Fascinating!"

Steam evaporated through Aito's armor gaps. Intrigued, Maba ran to his side, to start studying what he had once been unable to do because a certain giant girl had stopped him.

"Interesting. Steam from pores. Noted. Hum. Body is trembling. Hands clenched tightly. Signs of anger. Hum. Possibly a gift with a conditional activation. How marvelo—" Maba stopped his examination when he saw a small spheric item rolling out Aito's ball, shining of a golden yellow. "What the—"

The small item suddenly burst open, liberating an incredibly bright light that could temporarily blind those gazing at it.

FLASH!

"AAAH! MY EYES!"

Aito sprung to his feet, spun towards the moderator while grabbing air. Soulcleaver trembled in excitement and jumped into his hand, immediately shinning a golden light upon contact.

He had one shot at this and humiliated himself just for this one moment. There was no way he would mess this up.

—Active Skill: Durability Lv6 (Overload)—

—Active Skill: Cleave Lv5 (Overload)—

—Active Skill: Weight Control Lv5 (Overload)—

At the last moment, Aito increased the weight of his weapon 22 times its original weight and focused the entirety of it on the blade.

Maba instinctively covered his clothes in Durability, to no avail.

SLASH!

Soulcleaver cut past his defenses, sliced through his rib cage, and severed the moderator's body in half. Maba fell to the marble floor with a stupid look on his face, incapable of believing what just happened.

Maba's life flashed past him as Aito's ax descended upon his head, ready to declare judgment on his tainted soul.

A realization came to him in his last moments. The candle piece he had received from the Old Farsighter wasn't his to possess. He had only been a deliverer. Knowing that old all-seeing crook that was very possibl—1

SLASH!

Aito kicked Maba's ugly head against a marble pillar.

"Piece of shit."

At that moment, the fearmongers released their hostages. A painful feeling seemed to seize their heads, preventing them from using the Fear. The challengers previously paralyzed from the Fear got to their feet and started a counterattack.

Elizabeth conjured roots that crept up from underneath the Paineater's body, trapping its tentacles as wooden spikes pierced its leathery skin. Ogoro took this opportunity and sped to his sister's rescue, slashing the tentacles with his sword.

Meanwhile, George cast a momentary water wall between him and the Goliath creating a clear separation before hurtling water bullets and cannonballs.

Unwilling to be useless, Sam dashed towards the Paineater, and active Lion's Roar, a new skill he had gained for surviving the 6th floor's Sacred Event.

Both fearmongers who were already in pain and confused by the moderator's death looked towards him with crazed eyes.

Lucius, who finally finished charging up his skill, launched an Enhanced Lightning Spear that propelled at unbelievable speed as a thunderclap resounded in the hall, piercing through the Goliath's stomach. The fearmonger was paralyzed from the inside out as blades of winds shred its insides and electricity carbonized his body.

Free from her shackles, Sheyla kicked off the Paineater's hold, shooting multiple frost arrows midair, aiming straight for the creature's faces head.

The fearmonger's ugly round mouth widened to let out a roar of pain while steel wires wrapped around its throat, shutting it up.

Sheyla landed on the ground, took position, and pulled her arrowless bowstring, activating a new skill.

—Active Skill: Frozen Volley Lv3—

Blue light glowed in front of her bow, then spread in a dozen of small frost arrows as she released.

BAM!

All that happened within seconds. Aito didn't even have to join for both creatures to fall and die.

'Damn… they really did become stronger,' he thought, pushing out a sigh of relief. 'I guess Roan was right. I should have trusted them more.'

Just when he was about to voice out compliments to his team, Aito felt tremors all around. Looking up he saw Iris's map deforming as the grey matter stuck to it dropped piece by piece.

'Belmand's shit…'

*****

Lore:

"Apart from being on vacation, grooming challengers, and assuring the laws are respected, moderators are what hold the floors together. They could be considered a part of the beating heart of the floors they oversee. Hypothetically, a floor could still function without them, however, the creatures in there would just do as they please, like the orcs of the 6th floor are doing. In the eventuality a moderator dies, the floor would go out of control and would require immediate repairs. Being at least Lv4 like Maba, no moderators have ever died and left this kind of mess behind… until now.

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