Chapter 476
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Chapter 476: The Confrontation
“The members of the Babel Tower are here in this city. They should already know we are coming.”
Not far from the new imperial capital of Enos, atop a steep cliff, stood a man. His arms were crossed, his eyes glowing a deep blood-red. The winds howled fiercely around him.
Clusters of squirming black masses of flesh writhed beside him.
If the other members of the “Fiveman Group” from the “Blank Fire” incident were here, they would be shocked. The man standing before them was none other than the strongest member of the group, the dragon-striped iron mask man.
He still wore his dragon-striped mask, his eyes glowing a vivid crimson. His arms were crossed, and his muscular build seemed like that of a deity or demon descending upon the earth. The aura surrounding him was a hundredfold stronger than when he was in Noah, causing the mountain walls beneath his feet to crack and crumble.
Long ago, when Noah was investigating the situation, only a clone of this man was present. But now, standing before them was his true self—
Tower, Vanity.
Just a few meters away, a pitch-black tumor clung to a tentacle that resembled an intestine. It writhed and contracted incessantly. On this grotesque tentacle were twisted mouths and eyes, oozing blood and saliva. They uttered strange, incomprehensible murmurs.
A normal person would likely be driven mad by the sight of this abomination.
Tower, Ignorance.
With a disdainful expression, Vanity looked upon his companion.
“Never mind, talking to you is pointless,” he muttered. “After all, you’re not even an intelligent creature… Just a strange, mysterious being from who knows where…”
He paused.
“But I am different from you. I am a strong person, a true strong person who desires to challenge other strong individuals.”
He stepped forward, his voice growing more resolute.
“I will be the one to kill those members of the Babel Tower!”
Vanity stood there, speaking for what felt like an eternity, but Ignorance, squirming at his side, remained completely unresponsive. Clearly, Vanity’s words were nothing but an echo in the vast emptiness.
The anger surged within him. His only “audience” was this useless being. It was infuriating.
But it didn’t matter.
Soon, in the city ahead, there would be many more “audience members.”
Vanity would make them tremble in fear, suffocating them in awe, and, as a mighty conqueror, he would triumph over the members of the Babel Tower.
Without warning, Vanity vanished from his spot, leaving behind only the eerie sounds of Ignorance crawling and wriggling on the ground.
Its murmurs carried an irregular, chilling pattern, both enticing and thought-provoking.
Vanity had once lived within a religious civilization where “masters” without hair secluded themselves and only selected the Enlightened Ones—the extraordinary beings—to undergo the “Six Rites” in an attempt to transcend.
It was said that only those who underwent the “Six Rites” could draw closer to the “Awakened One.”
Before eliminating all the masters, Vanity had been the youngest to complete the “Six Rites.” At that time, the people of his civilization hadn’t yet called him the “Sixth Celestial Demon,” but had regarded him as the “Son of the Awakened One.”
The “From Giving Ceremony” corresponded to the sense of “smell.”
Vanity had gained the ability to discern scents, an extraordinary power that allowed him to easily locate his prey—such as the strong ones he sought.
Standing before a palace, he immediately spotted three figures approaching.
One human male. A pair of twin half-human, half-beast females… Two strong ones, and one weak one.
Vanity, wearing his dragon-patterned mask, wrapped his arms around himself. His eyes glowed a deep crimson. Even in silence, he stood like a towering figure, surveying the world beneath him. His voice rang out, both solemn and resolute.
“If you kneel and surrender, becoming prisoners, I can consider sparing you.”
“This is a path of life.”
Before Bai Yan and his companions could respond, Vanity continued, “If you do not kneel by the time I count to three, then there will be no other option but the path of death.”
“One,” Vanity said.
“Kill him, Kaluoer.”
Bai Yan’s voice was steady as he raised his black staff and pointed it at Vanity.
Without hesitation, Kaluoer vanished into thin air.
In the next instant, she appeared before Vanity, her black blade gleaming as it inched closer.
This blade, though shorter than a regular sword, was longer than a dagger. It was the “Civilization-level Relic” Kaluoer had just received from the “Savior.” The relic, called “Annihilation,” had been looted from the Giant Hive. Its effects were unclear—every time it was used, the extraordinary effects were random and unknown. The cost depended on the strength of the effect, draining the user’s vitality.
But Kaluoer was now an “undead.” She had no vitality, so she wouldn’t incur any cost.
A certain race, devoid of eyes, wielded a Civilization-level Relic that required sacrificing an eye with each use. Surprisingly, this act didn’t incur any cost on them.
The Babel Tower, with its immense wealth, carefully considered the combination of relics and their users. Normal factions simply used their relics without thought, but the Babel Tower treated these relics like precious tools.
Kaluoer vanished into nothingness, then reappeared beside Vanity. She launched her attack directly from the dimension of emptiness.
In that moment, her lethal intent ignited. She was ejected from the emptiness, her weapon pressed against Vanity’s skin before he could react. The time for the enemy to counter was less than a fraction of a second.
Once Kaluoer’s attack landed, her innate power, “Vanishing Formlessness,” rendered any lifepreserving powers useless. She could tear apart the very “Aura” of Apocalypse itself, instantly shredding the enemy’s body into pieces.
Unless the enemy was a being capable of surviving such a fate, death was almost certain.
But, surprisingly, Vanity moved faster than anticipated. His arm shot out at an astonishing speed, overtaking Kaluoer’s attack. He avoided the “destruction” and grabbed her arm, his grip powerful enough to tear her limb apart.
The burst of speed, akin to “Deep Red – Divine Punishment,” made Kaluoer’s agility seem almost still.
Vanity’s grip was crushing, the immense strength causing the ground beneath them to shatter. Kaluoer’s arm bent and crumbled.
But “Annihilation” struck Vanity’s abdomen. Immediately, black blood splattered, and the random effect of the relic froze Kaluoer in a frost, leaving her body completely immobilized.
Rebound damage?
Kaluoer thought, though logically, her “Vanishing Unseen” power should have negated this.
“Scars are the mark of a strong person, so thank me,” Vanity said calmly.
Knowing Kaluoer wasn’t dead, he reached out to grab her head, purposefully avoiding destroying her arm to prevent her escape.
Vanity believed that only by completely obliterating the body, down to the soul, would one truly die. Among the four levels of endurance, he hoped Kaluoer was only in the second.
But when he tried to seize her head, he found nothing—Kaluoer had vanished, leaving only an empty arm in his hand.
She had disappeared into nothingness.
Vanity paused, deep in thought.
The troublesome ability wasn’t easy to defeat.
It wasn’t until this moment that Evie finally reacted, shouting with anger and worry, “How dare you hurt Kaluoer!”
She glared at Vanity, then called out anxiously to Bai Yan, “Quickly, go help her!”
To Evie’s surprise, Viscount Edmond shook his head.
“Don’t you help?” Evie was stunned. She grew angry.
As Vanity kept a wary eye out for the disappearing enemy, he spoke to Bai Yan.
“Your strength is not insignificant, but hiding behind others in cowardice… the weakness of your spirit is truly nauseating.”
Bai Yan smiled faintly, an expression rarely seen on his face. But this smile was like a gentle breeze, sweeping away the coldness of winter, bringing warmth and peace.
“You are right,” he said calmly. “I am weak and in need of that girl’s protection. She is my protector now, fighting to keep both me and her sister safe from harm.”
Evie looked at him, confused. Kaluoer can defeat him,” Bai Yan said, unwavering. “We must believe in her.”
Kaluoer was not a tool, nor a weapon, nor a slave. She was their protector, their companion, and their family.
Evie was taken aback. A warm, comforting feeling flooded her heart—not her own emotions, but the feelings coming from her little sister.
Kaluoer?
Evie suddenly understood. Kaluoer no longer needed her protection. It was Kaluoer who was needed, not herself.