Level Up Legacy

The teardrop fell into existence and turned it golden, spreading through the world in an instant. A golden domain appeared to cover the entire plains and fighters within it. Runes floated atop the domain's surface, filled to the brim with powers.

As soon as the domain appeared, the Enders screamed in agony. These fallen beings rose from the darkness with bodies of oozing tar and swirling bones. Arthur pitied the souls that fell to the temptations of Nameless, but had no way of saving them.

Existence intensified as the creator descended from the sky, letting the guardian take care of the tower's residents. As the fallen beings raised their eyes to look at the sun, their bodies melted under its rays.

"There is no need to fight anymore," said Arthur as he looked at his comrades. "We have conquered this tower, and its master became on our side. The real enemy is rising from the depths of hell… planted by the heavens themselves."

Arthur raised his hand again, summoning spears of golden mana. The mana flowed naturally again, unlike how the tower restricted him before. Jizo has given the permission for Arthur to unleash his powers within this tower.

Sizzle!

The Enders screamed in agony as they stared at the descending creator before his spears shot toward them. With the minions of Nameless helpless and weakened inside his domain, the spears found their targets with ease.

As the golden spears pierced them, the oozing tars disintegrated and began melting down toward their fissures. Arthur landed on the ground where the fissure was located, raising his golden mana in his palms before slamming it to the ground.

Wheeeeng!

The air buzzed as the mana rang through existence and rose in a pillar toward the sky. The golden mana of creation closed the fissure instantly, restoring the tower and stabilizing it. Arthur rose from the ground after that, looking at his palm with a frown.

"Welcome back, my king," said Ramiel as he was the first to step forward and kneel on the ground. "I congratulate you for conquering this tower, even if it was a given matter."

"Thank you, Ramiel," said Arthur with a smile as he looked at the kneeling half-minotaur. "The fight begins now, everyone. After conquering the tower, the gods sent their minion to destroy this realm. This is the only way for them to break the contract between the tower and Devaheim."

"We are helpless against them," said Seraphine as she landed on the ground. "Anything that touches them withers, making them impossible to defeat."

"Bring your weapons, then," said Arthur with a nod as his mana leaked from his body. "I will bless them all with the mana of creation, the bane of nothingness."

"Mana of creation?" asked Seraphine with surprise as she stared at the golden mana. "I don't doubt you, my king, but I cannot understand…"

"I will explain everything when the time is right," said Arthur to reassure her. Seraphine stared at him for a while before nodding and forming a blood sword in her hand, presenting it before Arthur with both hands.

The rest arrived and did the same, while the Strings of Fate stared at them. Arthur infused their weapons with golden mana, and they began to evolve to fit their owner's fighting style. As for the Strings, they gathered around Yuvan who was still crying on the ground.

"What do we do now?" asked Jonathan as he waited for his command. Arthur stared at the Strings before sighing and looking toward the guardian, who understood his intention. A portal appeared beside them, leading them back toward the second floor.

"Go and help Dorian against the creatures of nothingness," commanded Arthur with determination. "I will leave this tower to fight Nameless."

"We cannot let you do that," said Whisker with a frown as he stepped forward. "Oblivion is far more powerful outside the lower realms. Furthermore, the gods might be planning to lure you out."

"This is a command."

"A command I will refuse," said Whisker, surprising Arthur. As he saw his king frown, Whisker knelt on the ground as he pleaded. "I swore to follow you, but that also means I cannot let you die like this!"

"I won't die," said Arthur as his expression loosened. "You should trust me, just like the rest."

"Don't count me with them," said Seraphine with a frown as she lowered her sword, which she was examining. "The feline is right about this. We cannot let you fight them alone. In the off chance that there is an ambush, we will use ourselves as bait."

"Why are you stubborn?"

"We are just protective," said Ramiel with a smile as he raised his spiked club with golden mana leaking from it. "After finding the man capable of saving us from the obnoxious gods, we want to protect him."

"If there is an enemy I cannot handle, then you wouldn't either."

"Then, we would throw away our lives to ensure that you survive," said Koby, golden mana flowing through his ethereal arm. "Please let us be stubborn this time, teacher."

"…fine," said Arthur with a sigh as everyone seemed to have the same mindset. "Clear the second floor from the enders and follow me to meet Nameless. There shouldn't be any complaints now, right?"

"None!" said Whisker with a grin as he began walking toward the portal. "Make it quick, everyone! We cannot let our king fight for us."

"No one placed you in charge," said Seraphine as she followed after him with a frown. "We still didn't receive the results of the fourth floor. I defeated ten demigods!"

Arthur smiled as he heard them bicker among themselves before disappearing into the portal. Ilia was the only one left, staring at him with hesitation. There was no need for him to ask because Arthur knew what his heart had stored.

"Spend what remained of his life with him," said Arthur with a smile. "I don't want you to have any regrets, Ilia. I understand how complicated brotherhood can be."

"Thank you, my king," said Ilia as he knelt on the ground and turned to walk toward the String of Fate, who surrounded Yuvan in a tight circle. His lost expression uneased them, but even as Ilia walked between them, none of them attacked.

The scholar guardian landed beside Arthur, staring at the scene. Then, he began to explain the reason he employed the Strings of Fate. "I am not proud of the ways I have used to summon the Red Tower to Earth. In order to connect the red tower to a lower realm, a high price must be paid."

"Did you know about what Yuvan was going to do?"

"I still don't," said Jizo with a shake of his head. "However, everything he did is my fault. After my purpose is served, I will seek you to eradicate me from this world."

"You are an extreme man."

"Justice needs to be extreme," said Jizo as he stared at his own hands. "I have also contributed to so much bloodshed. I deserve to be punished like any other. Before that, I want to serve my purpose in this story."

"We all carry the blood of others as long as we walk this path," said Arthur as he saw Ilia reach out for his brother and help him walk away. The two brothers walk shoulder to shoulder as they left the battlefield. "Blood must be paid with blood."

"And everyone shall pay one day," said the Scholar with acceptance as he turned toward Arthur. "Nameless is indeed attacking the tower. This is the reason the contract is still validated. The gods could not wait until we open this tower."

"We have no reason to open it."

"If we don't open the tower, I cannot send you back to Earth," said the guardian as he drew out another hologram with complicated settings for the tower. "Nameless has begun invading the tower through the interdimensional space. A normal human cannot survive there, since space itself is twisted."

"How are we going to fight it, then?"

"We need to stabilize space before leaving the tower," said the guardian with a frown. "This is the current damage that Nameless has inflicted."

[Tower Health: 71%]

Arthur watched the hologram that Jizo showed, which showed the tower structure and floors. Many places were corrupted and rotting at a terrifying pace, but the second floor was healing because of his comrades.

[Tower Health: 70%]

[Tower Health: 69%]

"It's going down as we speak," muttered Arthur with a frown as the darkness spread like a plague. "We need to act now."

"As long as we stop Nameless in the interdimensional space, it will be weakened in every world. However, the interdimensional space is massive and matter stretches within it."

"This is the reason we will use the rune to stabilize space, right?"

"To be precise, we will lock it for a while to make sure your body doesn't turn to spaghetti," said Jizo as he began calculating. "I can use the tower's resources to offer you… one minute."

"One minute is all I need," said Arthur with determination as he nodded. "It's about time that Nameless experience some of the pain it inflicted."