Chapter 424 – Siblings (1)

The Black Tower was getting closer.

It was the same Black Tower that always seemed like a mirage in a distant and out-of-reach place.
And it was now right in front of her eyes.

It was still a long distance for humans to walk, but not too far at Sarah’s speed.

‘My brother is in there.’

There was something she had to say when she would see him, so she had to meet him at all costs.

So she ran and ran.

She used aura all over her body to increase her speed, and it was then…

Wheik!

There was a piercing sound that shattered the air.

Sarah pulled out her golden stick, turned it into a sword, and swung in the direction from which the sound came.

Kang!

It was a fairly long spear.

Its power was unusual, and if she hadn’t used aura, she wouldn’t have been able to stop it.
She stopped running and looked in the direction the spear flew in.

A man lightly jumped down and pulled out the spear that was stuck in the ground.

“Intruder, you cannot go any closer.”

It was a man with a silver band around his head, sharp eyes, and a strong build.

‘Still, he isn’t at the level of the monster that Teacher blocked.’

At least he wasn’t an enemy she had to run away from.

The man spoke,

“I was wondering why Galakios went out.
To kill a young one like you? And it seems like his opponent now is Isis.
What is even happening?”

The man tilted his head and wondered what was happening.

It was only for a while.

Then the man looked at Sarah.

“It seems I have to kill you.”

“I came to see my brother.”

“I don’t know who your brother is, but anyone who enters the tower without permission is killed right away.
That is the first rule established by the Lord of this place.”

In other words, the law of her brother, Jamie Welton.

The first law was probably the one that was most strictly followed here.
Still, in case the misunderstanding could be resolved, Sarah spoke the truth.

“That person is my brother.
The Lord of the Black Tower.
I am Sarah Welton, Jamie Welton’s sister.”

“Jamie Welton?”

The man tilted his head as if he didn’t get it.

“I have never heard of such a name, though.
The Lord of the Black Tower is Diablo Volfir.
Are you lost?”

“Diablo Volfir is Jamie Welton!”

“I don’t know about that.
If you are trying to buy time, quit it.
I will not listen anymore.”

“If you don’t know it, then bring someone who does.”

“Even if what you say is true, everyone needs to follow the rules of the Black Tower.
Right, even if your brother is the Lord of the Black Tower, as you are claiming.”

When Sarah realized it wasn’t working, she decided not to talk back, and the man moved first.

His movements were swift.

His deformed, long spear moved like a snake and aimed for Sarah’s head.

It was a shocking speed at which she couldn’t have reacted in the past.

However, Sarah’s eyes could see the spear now.

Chang!!

Her sword and the spear collided.
Sarah’s body was pushed back a little, but her defense worked.

The man had a slightly surprised face.
He probably didn’t expect his attack to be blocked.

But the man’s level wasn’t shallow enough for him to be embarrassed by one block.
Still, the distance was great.

Her sword could not stand up against a spear, and the difference in their levels was even more troublesome.

The spear pierced the air and whirled around with a terrifying force.

‘Kuak! This man is strong!’

The feeling of the weight wasn’t a joke to her.
Each stab was too strong, and if not blocked properly, it was obvious that her body would have holes.

She had to counterattack, but there wasn’t any time for that with the continuous onslaught.
However, with an opponent attacking like this, Sarah thought he wouldn’t last long.

There would come a moment when his stamina would run out.

“Waiting for me to get tired?”

A man’s voice came through, like he had read Sarah’s thoughts.

“I am sorry.
But such a thing wouldn’t happen.”

Aura covered the spear’s blade.

It was a breathtaking crimson aura.

Like fireworks, the particles scattered around each time the spear moved.

[Crimson Lotus Martial Spear]

The wind blew through the spear blade as if red lotuses were scattering, and Sarah felt a great sense of danger.

It felt like her body was sounding an alarm.

She realized what the true nature of his power was like.

“Ability!”

His power was that of a Master.

The man’s technique was evident.

Sarah hadn’t reached Master yet, as she hadn’t gone past the wall, so it would be impossible to block it with her sword.

Sarah drew back and transformed her sword into a shield.

“A weapon that changes, huh? Like a monster.”

The pattern above her eyes turned red.

Sara compressed her senses as much as possible and focused only on the objects that were within a 2-meter radius.

An Awareness Circle was made. 1

As if sucking in the attack, she was going to absorb the force.

She covered the shield with aura and accepted the spear as it was.

Kwaaaang!!!

It seemed like Sarah’s arm, which held the shield, would burst at any moment.
The energy drawn from her whole body was consumed at such a fast pace.

She didn’t know how far her body was being pushed.
Her senses were reduced to the point where she wondered if her legs were broken.

A strong dizziness came over her, as if her consciousness were about to break.

‘Damn it!’

It was getting harder and harder to even think about it.
It was as if there was no oxygen supply in her brain.

“I am sorry you couldn’t greet your brother.”

Funnily enough, the faintly audible voice sounded genuinely sorry.

Her arm that was holding the shield became weak.

She could feel the pressure of the spear pressing near her chest, and it felt like her feet were lifted off the ground and that she was floating in the air.

‘Brother.’

She was right in front of where he was, but she couldn’t see him.

Was that her limit?

…

‘My limit.’

Sarah, whose eyes were about to close, forced her eyes to open.

“This isn’t my limit.”

Even if she couldn’t meet her brother, she shouldn’t be stopped at a place like this.

What did she do to get here?

Sarah strengthened her grip on the shield.

Then she put her feet, which were floating in the air, back on the ground.

Kakakaka!

“I!!”

Aura shone from her body.

“Am Sarah Welton!!”

At the same time, many things began to appear in front of her eyes.
It was the image of herself and the man.

In the midst of a fierce fight, Sarah was stabbed and killed by the spear again and again.

Then a change occurred in the strange phenomenon that seemed to show the future.
It was the sight of Sarah starting to win.

[Ability: Future Walker]

There were a number of cases.

And she had to choose the best among them.

What Sarah took….

The shield was bent at an angle.

It wasn’t easy, but for some reason, she felt that her body was becoming stronger than before.

“You came all the way here to let go of the attack?!”

A panicked voice came from behind the shield.

Sarah’s eyes were cold.

She knew what she had to do.

The spear that went for the shield was now stuck to the ground.
Like a spear master, the man immediately pulled the spear out and prepared himself, but that small gap was very large in the battle between warriors.

“You…!”

The sword was pointed at the man’s neck.

The man laughed mischievously.

“Insane.
Did you become a Master at such a time?”

It was his first time witnessing such a thing.
However, Sarah had no intention of speaking.

“Guide me.”

“This is nuts.”

The man stuck his tongue out and drew a dagger from his waist.
And without delay, he put it around his neck.

No, he was trying to kill himself.

Pak.

Before he could do that, Sarah kicked his hand with her foot, and the dagger flew out of his grasp.

It was something she had expected because she knew he would commit suicide after seeing it from Future Walker.

“Guide me.”

When she stopped him, the man fiercely glared at Sarah and sighed.

“It is pointless.
You are an intruder in this place.
And I am a sinner who has lost to you.
There are many strong people living in the Black Tower, and they won’t let you live.
You and me, too.
I made it clear.
That is the first rule.”

“Guide me.”

“You are such a frustrating person.
Just kill me.
I had no intention of living like this in the first place.”

He was actually preferring to commit suicide, as if he didn’t want to live anymore.

And Sarah knew he was being sincere.

“Guide me.”

“If you don’t want to kill me, I will!”

The man grabbed the spear again and tried to attack.

“Stop.”

Sarah turned her head at the voice.
It was a man with thorny gray hair and bright red skin.

Large wings were sprouting from his back, which showed he wasn’t human.

“Mister Beiros.”

The man looked at the red-skinned man and said,

Beiros only looked around and clicked his tongue.

“What is this? Such a bastard called an aide.”

“I-I have no face to show.”

The man bashed his forehead against the ground like he felt guilty.

At first glance, the man seemed to be Beiros’s subordinate.

Surely.

‘He is strong to the point that they cannot be compared.’

Sarah had reached the level of Master, but she couldn’t see the number of cases where she could win against Beiros.

That was how great their difference was.

Just like the proverb says, there is one hurdle after another.
A much stronger enemy was blocking her way, even though she had reached the Master level.

What was this absurdity?

“Hmm.”

Sarah glanced at him with a stiff expression, and Beiros rubbed his chin.

“… Younger sister?”

“… How do you know?”

“We are in a state in which all our five senses are connected except touch.
That guy and me.
But, of course, it is a one-sided view.”

So Beiros was able to experience firsthand what the man saw.

And that meant he knew what techniques Sarah used to subdue the man.

And that thought made her tense up.

“Ah— I have no intention to fight, so don’t strain your body.”

When Sarah took a battle stance, Beiros shook his hand.

“You smell similar, so it must be true.”

He said that casually.

“Follow me.
I will guide you to your brother.”

Sarah’s eyes widened.

“F-For real?”

“Before that.”

Kwaang!!

A tremendous roar rang out.
It was from the direction where Galakios and Isis were fighting.

“We have to stop those monsters first.
Wait.
I will sort things out.”

Beiros left those words and flew in the direction where the sound of the collision grew louder.

Meanwhile, Sarah and the man stayed there in awkward silence.

“It looks like Sarah is here.”

Diablo’s gaze moved to the right.

A man in gold, Ricky, was standing there with a worried face.

“It is said that she is here alone.”

“I know.”

“Is that the face of a guy who knows? She is your younger sister!”

Diablo continued to speak with an indifferent look at Ricky’s words,

“It looks like she wanted to come.
Should I even care about that?”

“Ehh….
Are you being serious?”

“Seriously, lies.
I like those things, siblings, blood relatives, and family.
All of them are the same.”

Diablo rubbed his chin.

“Everything is insignificant.
All that matters is whether she lives or dies.
The strong survive, and the weak die.
If Sarah Welton is strong, she can stand next to me, and if not, I don’t even have to say it.
Don’t expect anything from me, Ricky.”

There was no emotion in his voice.

And Ricky clenched his fists at his tone, as if all his emotions had been erased.

‘Sarah.’

Your brother has turned into a monster.

TL/N: It's some technique.
It wasn’t explained, so I'm guessing the circle tells when one attacks or gets closer.