Level Up Legacy

Whisker stared at the red particles trying to reform the black hole in space that Seika had left. Countless panels, warning him about approaching this rift, continued to blink. The feline failed to understand what kind of man he had trusted.

Although he chose not to interfere, Whisker watched everything between them. He agreed to the plan to hand over the scum to the demon, but things turned out unexpectedly.

In a sense, Romeo's words were just to enrage Seika enough to kill him. It made sense that he would choose temporary death over something like being obliterated from existence by the demon.

"Romeo chose the worst way to die," said Whisker with a shake of disapproval as he tried to accept that the Seika, a man who entered the tower just two days ago, had broken through its physical laws and entered a challenger's room.

Rather than being amazed or confused, Whisker was worried about the repercussions of this endeavor. The heavens bound a tower to be fair, just, and impartial. The actions of the Seika were impressive but by no means authorized by the tower.

[Warning!]

[An anomaly has occurred!]

[Warning!]

[An anomaly has occurred!]

These blinking panels proved that the tower had caught on to his actions and would take a procedure. This scene has happened before, and Whisker never thought he would see it again.

"You would want to witness this, Lucius," muttered the feline as he remembered the figure of a man who once fought against the heavens. "If I help this man, would that somehow repay the debt I owe you?"

No one was going to answer his question. Whisker debated what to do when someone flew out of the rift and landed on the ground before him. Romeo landed in front of him, his eyes tearful and terrified.

"Please… no more…" said the man in a broken voice, his eyes rolling back. He could not even see Whisker, who was standing in front of him. No matter what this man has been through, it was enough to break his mind.

A few moments later, the man with long black robes came through the rift, returning to the realm of common sense. He seemed less wrathful than earlier, although he could never tell what he thought because this man lacked a scent.

"I have some bad news," said Seika as soon as he saw Whisker and turned toward Romeo on the ground. "Although I managed to bring the bastard back, I might have angered some people."

"What kind of people?"

"Gods and whatnot."

"…the Gods?"

"Just gods. I have no idea how many groups of gods there are, but it seems that some of them are responsible for ensuring fairness inside this tower. I might have transgressed that fairness by plucking out this trash."

"And you almost turned my whiskers gray," said the feline with a frown as he stared at Romeo on the ground. "I hate his guts, but he might have brought us unnecessary troubles. That said, did you meet one of those gods?" asked Whisker as he turned toward Seika. i????????read.????????????

"A tall one called Astra…" muttered Seika before pausing. "Astraleus? His name was a bit weird, and I don't listen much when I get angry. In any case, he claimed to be a god."

"His name is Astraeus, God of Imperative Order," corrected Whisker before his expression was confused. "He is the one that you never want to meet. Most gods do as they please because of their overwhelming characters, but Astraeus is different. It makes no sense that you are still alive."

"…don't be so surprised about my survival," said Seika, speechless. "Astraeus said he was hesitant about whether I deserve to be killed. However, this brings us to our problem. A worse god will be coming after me."

Seika opened his bag and took something out before handing it to Whisker. It was a white scroll, which the feline accepted without thinking. After a moment, he realized it was his return scroll, the token of trust he had placed in Seika.

"What are you doing?" asked Whisker with confusion. Seika did not answer him and walked toward Romeo before picking him up and carrying him over his shoulder.

"This is the end of our journey," said Seika with a rare smile as he turned around. "I know what kind of characters I angered. I never believed they existed, but meeting one of them was enough to tell me how powerful the gods are. I understand this is not the battle we agreed to fight together."

"And you expect me to run now that things went south?" asked Whisker as he crumpled the return scroll. "I never run from a fight, especially against the gods."

"This is not a test of your character, friend," said Seika with a shake of his head. "I never doubt that you would fight whoever stands in your way. However, I refuse to let someone else fight my battles. You should leave this place, too. I will take this man to the demon."

"No… Please…" whispered Romeo, but he did not struggle or break free. He was nothing but a bag to be carried away toward his demise.

After that, Seika started walking away. The rift was growing bigger, and so did the warning signs. Whisker realized that if a god arrived, he would use this rift to enter the tower since it was the place where the anomaly happened.

The return scroll in his hand was still crumpled, and Whisker threw it in his bag. Then, he sat on the ground cross-legged, waiting for the god to descend.

Seika was right. This was not his battle; he would have had an easier time if he avoided the gods. He knew how fearsome they were firsthand after what happened to Lucius. However, for that exact reason, Whisker refused to run.

"I was a child then," said the feline as he gazed at the rift before raising his hand to feel his scars. "If not for you, Lucius, I would never be here. This fight against the heavens… I will not avoid it. I have a feeling that this man will let me find you."

Whisker stared at the rift, his eyes determined. If a god does descend, he wouldn't be any stronger than an ant in his eyes. However, even gods were bound by the laws of fairness. If a god kills someone other than the anomaly, they will cause it themselves.

Although other gods would not kill a god, Astraeus, the Imperative God, would restrict their actions afterward. However, Whisker never wanted to gamble with his life. He was just here to deceive the god once he came.

***

Romeo begged for his life, although Arthur made sure he begged for his death earlier. His wrath has been sated, and after a moment of thought, Arthur would have preferred to kill the man directly rather than do it a few times.

"I thought this tower could restrict my wrath," muttered Arthur as he carried the trash of a human being toward the battlefield that he fled. "But there is always one scum that gets on my nerves. I might have some unresolved anger because of Seref."

"Please… anything but the demon…" begged Romeo in a whisper, which Arthur ignored. He was not doing this to punish the man further but to make a deal with the demon. The men dying at her hands were not evil themselves. Although they deserve some pain to make them see reality, Arthur does not think they deserve to die.

The sounds of battle echoed from a distance. The men that Romeo deceived were still fighting, which surprised Arthur. As he got close enough to see the battlefield, he halted his steps in awe.

The demon did not kill them if not attacked, but this shabby army never retreated. A circle of death has formed around the demon, with her mist filling the battlefield. Red particles filled the air, which never dissuaded the men from fighting.

"Until our lord arrives…!" shouted one of the men as he rushed toward the demon. She seemed bored, but a scythe of red mist bolted toward him and severed his head. The man died without a sound and fell to the ground, dissolving into red particles.

Arthur watched with confusion as the men tried to kill the demon despite being unable to inflict a scratch on her. This courage and persistence came from the belief that their leader had died fighting her, which enraged him further.

"Enough!"

Arthur roared, shaking the battlefield. His voice paralyzed the soldiers and caught the demon's attention. Arthur resumed his steps, entering the battlefield from between the trees.

"You are fighting for a man who never fought for you," said Arthur as he walked from the distant end of the battlefield. The demon and the warriors stared at him with confusion. "This futile battle would just send you to your deaths!"

As he arrived, Arthur threw Romeo on the ground, who groaned and rolled. It took the men a moment to realize his identity, but they were still confused.

"This man fled the battle as soon as it began," Arthur said with disgust before turning toward the men. "I will not let another life go to waste because of this waste. This battle ends now."