Chapter 523 - Late Start

After the countdown reached zero, two Level 5s from the cults, Grausam the Catastrophe and Marlborough the Undying Juggernaut, shot towards the sun-like Aurora Scroll.

At the same time, the giant skeleton of earth and bone with three heads, which Tanael decided to call it Bob, attacked the people around him, like people cleaning the rubbish on a dining table. The people were still standing behind the start line.

Despite the name, Bob was among the top-tier contenders in this event. If Tanael’s eyes weren't wrong, Bob was a fusion of three Level 5s, each represented in his three skulls. Bob’s size was the same as a three-story house after crawling up from the Tower of Remorse. He used enough power in that AoE Arte that it should kill Level 4 and lower many times over. The shockwave even reached Tanael’s position.

There were many screams and shouts of panic. However, they soon found there were no injuries.

Fascinating. I guess the people behind the starting line, so to speak, are immune to damage. Yes, the ones that don't want to participate in the deadly match for the legendary artifact have the option to bow out.

Bob let out a roar of frustration; it sounded like three people talking at the same time.

Tanael was pretty far from Bob so he shifted his attention to another thing that caught his interest: Grausam and Marlborough’s progress.

Huh? They don't progress as far as I expected.

With the speed of Level 5, they should be able to reach the finish line in a short amount of time. However, they seem to encounter difficulty. They were unable to travel in a straight line.

Other people with daring stepped foot past the starting line. After further observation of the subjects, Tanael drew a conclusion. The whole thing was like a reverse whirlpool. One must force their way against a current. Tanael saw a person who stood still and gradually got pushed back to the starting line. Also, the closer one got to the center -the rainbow sun that the Aurora Scroll transformed into- the stronger the repelling force.

Tanael also saw objects moving around in the race area beside the people. They looked like planets orbiting the sun. The whole thing was set up like a solar system. The starting line was the very edge of that solar system.

Incidentally, even though the layout of the surroundings resembled outer space, Tanael could feel his feet standing on some solid platform even though he couldn't see or feel it. Everyone was at the same elevation so there was no three dimensional movement or zero gravity movements. Flight seemed to be disabled since none of the Level 5s did it.

By staying in the no fight area, he was invulnerable from damage so he feared no harm from people around him. Tanael took a moment to consider his options.

Just as he thought earlier, before he was rudely interrupted, he could wash his hands of the whole thing and run out with his win. He had more than enough benefits. One of the Inheritances alone, which he had five, represented a clear path to becoming a Level 5 Pathseeker for those who were compatible.

Tanael saw the prisoners, civilians, and Pathseekers who knew the opportunity in front of them was a deathtrap for them, quit one after another.

They shouted aloud that they wished to retire and they seemed to be teleported out.

For the prisoners, since most of them possessed zero Victa after their captivity, this was too much for them. Freedom might be a more tempting price since everyone was busy with their own thing, including their jailers.

Now then, what’s my role in all of this?

Tanael looked at the beautiful rainbow sun for a moment, then glanced at the powerful figures that set off his danger alarm, including the red-winged Izabella. Lastly, he looked into his own soul.

A sigh escaped his lips.

Enough of this indecision bullshit! I might try to pass it off as prudence but it is actually more closer to cowardice! I can lie to others, but must never lie to myself! Whatever this is, even if I may still surrender before the finish line, I REFUSE to not even try!

With determination, Tanael took a step forward.

The seventeen souls inside the lantern on his hips, especially the eleven that had surrendered their powers and only wanted to be free, cried out to Tanael, persuading him not to sail to dangerous waters. Alas, Tanael had made up his mind.

Yaa! Yaaaa!

Tanael appreciated Faiya’s encouragement and support. He was currently soul-linked to the fire elemental, the source of the fire abilities he had shown many times earlier.

All right. Let’s do this.

Filled with worry, Jordan and the others in the lantern thought Tanael would dash headlong into the fray like a hot-headed mad youth that he was. Not surprising, since he must be pretty mad for infiltrating the Tower of Remorse and recruiting its worst criminals.

Instead, Tanael really did only take one step and stopped.

So this is the current. Indeed, it feels like a reverse whirlpool. If I exert some of my Victa, I can move forward but there’s a limit since the pushback will increase. Even those Level 5s got swept by the current after a certain distance from the finish line.

How would Tanael approach this? He had to experience the situation first. As of right now, he still didn't see a path to the finish.

Right... Since it’s a race, guess it’s not a long trial like in the Book World. Or will there be another trial after this one? It’s a possibility. No use worrying about what might be. I should focus on this race first.

Tanael slowly pushed forward. He started slowly and tested the waters.

While the Level 5s up front had significant leads, Tanael didn't think it was completely hopeless for him.

Firstly, the current must be so strong up front that they were forced to go to the side and go forward at a snail’s pace. In Tanael’s mind, he traced their path like a spiral, circling the entire sun, inching forward bit by bit.

Grausam and Marlborough made progress against the current alone but that was not the only thing they had to worry about. They also fought each other!

The seven Devil Gods cults never get along. They might forge a temporary alliance for the Tower of Remorse raid but they each had their own agendas. Now the raid was more or less over, then there was a treasure beyond comparison in front of their eyes. Grausam and Marlborough, who each belonged to different cults, were now hampering each other’s progress. Each wanted the Aurora Scroll for themselves, which was not surprising at all.

Because the current was constantly battering them both, when they fought they got pushed back some, undoing their earlier progress. Tanael sighed at their pathetic display.

Other people had also entered the race beside those two. Those confident in their strength made up the middle group. Among their number were Bob, the Demon King, and Izabella.

Bob, despite its gigantic size, seemed to receive equal pressure as regular sized people and not more. The speed of the giant of earth and bone showed it as such. And everyone tried to avoid Bob, because the abomination was actively killing other people around it. It couldn't run around killing people indiscriminately though. If it did that, the pressure would push it back, so as long as it wanted the Aurora Scroll, moving forward was the priority rather than chasing meals.

As for Izabella, Tanael was pretty sure someone else was in the driver’s seat now. After all, she was able to swat a stray arte from Grausam with one hand, a Level 5 Arte. Izabella didn't have that kind of power, Vampire Progenitor or not. Ergo, Blood Church’s deity probably came out and played.

The Demon King was a silver-haired guy with the stench of Dumuzin all over him. There was a straight-up big Dumuzin’s insignia on his chest. He was mostly kept to himself, not showing aggression whatsoever, but those who got too close to him seemed to suffer some mental breakdown.

With Bob as strong as it was, Tanael wouldn't be surprised if there was some of the Lichzen, Death Society’s Demon God, inside that undead construct.

This meant there were three people touched by super demons in the race. Dangerous didn't do it justice. Tanael wisely kept a wide berth from them all.

And while all of this was happening, the good guys, meaning Freya and company, the prison guards and their families, stood back. Tanael realized that only the cultists went past the starting line. Perhaps they wanted the Aurora Scroll for themselves, perhaps they didn't want the scroll to fall into another cult’s hands, perhaps they wanted to support their seniors or champions, or whatever.

The point was, the bad guy forces had already pushed the good guy forces to the brink. Then things happened and now they were killing each other for greed. Meanwhile, the good guy forces survived. Bruised and battered and grieving from their losses, but their roots were intact and they could re-grow.

Oh, how Tanael lamented the tragedy. Yes, the Aurora Scroll might be precious and inflate their greed, but was it too much to band together and finish off the good guy forces first -their common enemy, for Heaven’s sake!- before killing each other!?

How many times has Tanael read or watched Fables where the good guys survived only because of the opposition’s stupidity? Too many.

Now the good guy forces will have some wins in this event. Mark my words. I can see the pattern; I know the tropes and clichés!

Tanael glanced at Freya and the others. There was only a single Level 5 among them. The prison guards and their families who lived in the Tower of Remorse had evacuated and were no longer here.

Cedric, the otherworlder that he defeated, was already on his feet among his Silver Legionary friends. The old Level 5 were talking to them. Freya looked agitated. Must be pretty important stuff.

Tanael recognized the Level 5. He was General Gregory. Back then, when Viers was defeated by Freya in their first encounter, Gregory was with Freya as a mentor. Gregory was a pretty well-known figure among the church and super strong even in the Level 5 standards.

Ah, Gregory just entered the race. He’s going full speed.

Naturally, the Level 5 from the Church was among the personnel that Tanael wanted to stay away from, but he was pretty far from the start, and he wasn't Gregory’s target, so Tanael was safe. Freya’s dramatic ‘noooooo’ for her master reached his ears.

The teacher guy must be about to perform his last glorious act then, hm? The Church definitely doesn't want the cults to obtain the scroll. World peace in jeopardy, yadda-yadda, the usual stuff. Man oh man.

Gregory... The guy who beat me black and blue back in Valkut has a similar name, Georgi. But one is a Silver Legion general and the other is a cult grandmaster. They can't be more different. That said, the similarity of the name and then the opposite sides of the coin... Is it just a coincidence, or is there a connection between them? Brothers, perhaps?

Tanael cut short his musing. It didn't matter at this point. He watched as Gregory caught up with the middle group and exchanged blows with Bob and the others.

The race was filled with cultists and demon god avatars. Gregory was like a lone light in the dark. No matter how strong he was, he was just one man against insurmountable evil.

Tanael expected he would pull off a miracle.

Well, let’s see how the race goes.

Tanael knew full well this was a race but he was content to remain at the back at the moment. He was still near the starting line while battles in the middle group and the front group were heating up.

He wasn't worried.

Tanael indeed participated in the race but he wasn’t going to trade blows with the likes of the Demon King. Even regular Level 5s were too much for his true body, let alone him. Tanael didn't forget that as Viers’ clone, he lacked the Horizon Aspect's multipliers.

From his experience, race was a messy thing. So he might have a sliver of chance.

Alright y’all. Front Runners, Pace Chaser, Late Surgers... Go ahead and destroy each other. This End Closer might still clinch the first place~ Just watch! The announcer will say ‘Goruuddoshippppuuuu!’ with gusto over and over again in my final stretch! Gwahahahaha!

If he really somehow won the Aurora Scroll, Tanael was definitely going to play the Umapyoi song just for the heck of it.

While dreaming of his success, Tanael was ambushed. Multiple attacks came from his surroundings out of thin air.

“Bruh! Seriously!?”