CHAPTER 139: THE TOWER’S OTHER NAME

Amidst the heaviness of sorrow, as the final trace of Leila faded from Adam’s arms, the silence was suddenly broken by a sharp chime.

A system notification flickered to life in front of every surviving Stream Hunter.

[System Notice: A High-Level Interference has been detected within the tournament grounds.]

[Emergency Protocol Activated.]

[All Stream Hunters currently located on the Fifth Floor will be forcibly transferred to the Sixth Floor.]

[Estimated Transfer: 10 minutes.]

[Cause of Interruption: External Entity Influence | Threat Level: ???]

[Floor Progression Accelerated to preserve Tournament Integrity.]

[All Stream Hunters on the Fifth Floor will receive proper compensation.]

[Special Bonus: Survivor’s Grace x1 – Luck will suddenly favor the user for 30 seconds.]

As the string of notifications appeared in front of Adam, no sort of gladness could be seen on his face.

He didn’t move.

He felt a tap behind his back to see Raiden attempting to comfort him.

Raiden offered no words as he wasn’t aware of who the woman was to Adam...

But he could sense the sadness within his little brother that he had not seen in a long time.

[Danyz has donated an F-tier gift]

[You have received] +3 Soul Cores

[Danyz] : I’m sorry for your loss. But if anything, resurrection should be possible. I’m sure there are powerful items out there that one of us could possibly give to bring her back.

[Holder of Severance] : It’s not possible.

[Danyz] : Why wouldn’t it be?

[Experienced Old Knight questions the Holder of Severance’s statement.]

[Hazardous Combatant]: I’ve seen resurrection artifacts firsthand. Our squad used them a few times on the front lines. There are a lot of them out there... revival crystals, soul anchors, even the Tears of Hareth. It shouldn’t be impossible.

[Holder of Severance is rolling his eyes.]

[Holder of Severance]: To die under the Second Angel’s Law... after losing a challenge of Authority...

Means permanent death. No item, no spell, not even divine intervention can reverse it.

[Nemori has sent an F-tier gift]

[You have received: +7 Soul Cores]

[Nemori]: Wait, who’s the Second Angel? What’s their "Law"? There’s a first Angel too? Or a third? And what do you mean permanent?

Adam didn’t pause the chat.

Despite the ache inside him, he found himself watching, waiting for the answer...

Just like everyone else.

[Holder of Severance]: I don’t really have the energy to explain...

[Nemori]: Haa? Come on, just tell us!!

[Prankster of Kingdoms bets Holder of Severance just doesn’t know]

There was a beat of silence.

Then, finally...

[Holder of Severance]: ...You’re not wrong. I don’t know if there’s a First or Third Angel. I don’t even know if ’Angel’ is a real term or just a placeholder we’ve all used. But what I do know is this... Yxthar has hunted the Second Angel since the beginning. Since the Tower came into existence... or at least, that’s what my friend read.

[Woman of Specters]: Read?

[Holder of Severance]: Yes. Not heard, but read...

The chat quieted down.

It was rare for an S-ranked viewer to speak at length, and even rarer for one to sound hesitant.

[Holder of Severance]: When you hold an Authority that involves Stories and "Knowing," there might be rare moments when you’re allowed to visit the... "Realm of the End".

[CrispyDeath has donated an F-tier gift]

[You have received +6 Soul Cores]

[CrispyDeath expresses confusion about what the Holder of Severance is talking about]

[Holder of Severance]: All knowledge comes from the Realm of the End.

[Holder of Severance] One of my people... he bore the Authority of Connection, managed to reach that place. His ability let him perceive the ties between all things, the invisible threads that link every cause and effect. Because of that, he falls under both "Knowing" and Stories.

[Holder of Severance]: He told me he couldn’t explain how he was granted entry... only that when he arrived, he saw a massive library. A place where every book was a universe. And every one of those books was in the process of closing.

[Holder of Severance]: He was allowed to borrow just one book. Any book he could name. He chose one about Yxthar, hoping it held a way to bring down the Tower.

[Holder of Severance]: We weren’t close. He didn’t share much. But he told me this, The Tower of Yxthar is considered an equal to the Realm of the End... and to six others.

[Holder of Severance]: But that balance hasn’t been relevant for awhile now... Because of the Second Angel, the Tower of Yxthar is now weakened.

[5th Style Sword Master]: Where is your friend now?

There was a pause.

Holder of Severance didn’t respond right away.

Seconds passed. Finally, the message appeared.

[Holder of Severance]: He’s dead.

Adam leaned back in his chair, eyes fixed on the screen.

So many things didn’t make sense yet.

The Realm of the End? A library of closing universes?

The Tower of Yxthar, equal to such a place?

Even now, it felt like there were pieces missing. Too many pieces. And the Holder of Severance didn’t seem to have the whole picture either.

’As long as an Authority user falls under Stories and "knowing", they can visit the Realm of the End? If that’s the case... I wonder if Elaric has visited it already...’

Adam looked towards his chat as he sent a message to the chat.

"Is there anything else that your friend told you?"

The reply came fast, like the Holder had been waiting for someone to ask.

[Holder of Severance]: Yes. One more thing. The Tower of Yxthar has another name.

Adam’s brows drew together.

Even the usual chatter in his stream died down.

Everyone was waiting.

[Holder of Severance]: It is called...

[Holder of Severance]: The Realm of Everchanging.

That was all that Adam read before he suddenly felt himself begin to be teleported to the sixth floor.

His vision blurred as the colors around him morphed into different hues.

He could not help but mumble to himself...

’The Realm of Everchanging...’

...

As Adam and the rest of the participants vanished from the fifth floor, teleported away by the system, silence settled over the once-chaotic arena.

Then, from the far edge of the battlefield, a figure emerged...

Barefoot...

Unannounced and quiet.

A child, no older than ten in appearance, walked slowly across the scorched ground.

Their skin shimmered like molten mercury.

They left no footprints behind, as if they weren’t fully part of the world.

Above their head floated a crown made out of a perfect loop of a serpent devouring its own tail.

Time itself seemed to bend slightly around it, warping the air in a faint circle.

The child stopped at the center of the arena.

The same place where Adam had just stood moments ago.

Their eyes, impossible to look away from, were filled with infinite reflections.

Within them, whoever stared would see countless versions of themselves.

Some victorious, some broken, some screaming.

Each reflection was a life, a possibility, a fate unchosen.

The child glanced toward the space Adam had occupied just seconds ago.

Their expression changed.

A sad, and sorrowful emotion entered its eyes.

It was mourning.