Merged Chapters by Reigokai

On the 100th Floor…my best friend Claude was being pushed down by the angel Rita-san.

“…Uh, Rita-chan? I already have a girlfriend…” (Claude)

“I know~ You have two, right? Then I’ll be the third candidate♡” (Rita)

The usually cheerful and innocent angel had a seductive smile on her face.

Claude, on the other hand, looked bewildered.

He probably never expected to have an angel like Rita come on to him like this.

I shifted my gaze to the fallen angel Eri beside me.

(Yes! Go for it! Keep it up!) (Eri)

Eri mouthed the words silently.

(Did you set this up?) (Eugene)

I tapped her shoulder lightly and asked in a whisper.

(Shh, this is the best part! Don’t interrupt!) (Eri)

She scolded me.

Well, I guess I’ll just keep quiet.

I turned my attention back to Claude and Rita-san’s conversation.

“I mean, I just told you that you seemed really busy lately and should take a break…” (Claude)

A very typical Claude-like statement.

“Exactly! Angel work is super exhausting, you know? Sooo, I was thinking maybe you could heal me~☆” (Rita)

Rita shot him a sidelong glance.

Her hand reached out and touched Claude’s cheek.

Claude still looked confused, but he didn’t try to move away.

Rita-san’s face slowly closed in on his…

(Any more than this would be bad.) (Eugene)

Deciding that, I grabbed the hand of Eri beside me.

(Hey! What are you doing?! It’s just getting good!) (Eri)

(It’s not something we should be watching.) (Eugene)

Ignoring her resistance, I pulled Eri away with me.

—Claude-kun… I love you.

—Rita-chan…

Eri and I left the scene as their voices faded into the distance.

◇

“Hey! Why didn’t we watch till the end?!” (Eri)

“It would’ve been rude.” (Eugene)

I pulled Eri along to a spot where their voices could no longer reach us.

“You’re so straightlaced, Eugene. Anyway, didn’t you have something to do here?” (Eri)

“Yeah, Principal Uther asked me to deliver this.” (Eugene)

I showed her the stack of documents.

Eri flipped through the pages.

“Hmm… Something’s happening with the Zenith Tower… I see.” (Eri)

She looked a little more serious as she examined the papers.

“What do you think about the situation at the Zenith Tower?” (Eugene)

The Principal told me to deliver this to Rita-san, the administrator of the 100th Floor, but I was curious about Eri’s opinion as well.

She was Rita-san’s senior angel after all.

“Well, I’ve never been directly involved in the Tower’s construction or management, so this is just a guess, but…” (Eri)

Eri paused for a moment as if recalling something.

“You do know that the Zenith Tower is the Last Dungeon, and its entire structure can change based on the Dungeon Master’s will, right?” (Eri)

“Yeah, I heard that the current Dungeon Master, Anemoi, has a completely different approach compared to the previous one.” (Eugene)

The former Dungeon Master, like Principal Uther, prioritized the safety of explorers.

The current one, however, seeks active participation in the Trial of the Gods.

“Exactly. The Zenith Tower transforms according to the Dungeon Master’s wishes. So the abnormalities are probably influenced by that as well… But here’s the tricky part… The Tower doesn’t follow the Dungeon Master’s orders 100%.” (Eri)

“Wait, really? Even though she is the Dungeon Master?” (Eugene)

That reminded me…

There was an incident in the past where the Dungeon Master summoned a Divine Beast, the Hydra, but failed to control it.

“The Tower’s Dungeon Master has changed hands many times. The Tower itself was built back in the mythological era, after all.” (Eri)

“That’s ancient history.” (Eugene)

In the academy’s dungeon studies, the origins of the Zenith Tower remain unknown.

There are no records of it in human history.

“It was constructed by repurposing the mana of the sealed Spirits —or rather, the Evil God’s power— on this planet. It’s been around for ages. Since the whole Tower is like a massive divine artifact, expecting a young Dungeon Master to fully control it is unrealistic.” (Eri)

“…That sounds dangerous.” (Eugene)

I wasn’t too confident in Anemoi-san’s ability to handle this.

“This document says the admin angels of each Floor are expected to provide support.” (Eri)

“So Rita’s workload just got even heavier, huh…” (Eugene)

The 100th Floor’s angel already had her hands full.

By now, she was probably taking a “break” with Claude.

I just hoped she’d get some proper rest.

As I was thinking that…

A pair of soft, white arms suddenly wrapped around my neck.

“Eri…?” (Eugene)

Eri pressed her lips against mine before I could say anything.

After a long kiss…

“Hey, Eugene.” (Eri)

“…That was sudden.” (Eugene)

“Well, we’ve got time to kill until Rita’s done, don’t we?” (Eri)

“I mean, yeah, but…” (Eugene)

“Then it’s fine, right~?☆” (Ero)

Eri pushed me down.

I silently wrapped my arms around her back, pulling her close.

(…I’ll borrow someone’s notes for the afternoon classes later.) (Eugene)

I sighed internally.

◇

“Huh? Eugene and…Eri-san? Why are you two here?”

Claude and Rita-san showed up while Eri and I were chatting.

Rita-san’s slender arm was wrapped around Claude’s.

They were standing…completely at a couple’s distance.

“Eri-senpai! I did it!” (Rita)

Rita-san made a V-sign with her fingers.

“Nice! My teachings paid off. You did great!” (Eri)

Eri gave her a thumbs-up, while Claude’s expression stiffened slightly.

“…Wait, what?” (Claude)

“Congrats, Claude.” (Eugene)

I offered him my congratulations.

Claude’s eyes widened.

“Eugene!? You saw that?!” (Claude)

He rushed up to me.

I explained that Eri and I didn’t watch the whole thing.

“Um… Eugene. About this…” (Claude)

“I won’t tell Sumire or Sara.” (Eugene)

“I-I see…” (Claude)

“But I think this is going to get exposed anyways.” (Eugene)

“Yeah…” (Claude)

“I haven’t been able to hide anything either.” (Eugene)

Claude and I exchanged looks, then gazed up at the sky.

A conversation could be heard from a short distance away.

“Rita, listen. You need to secretly tuck a feather into Claude’s clothes. That’s how you subtly hint at things.” (Eri)

“I see! That’s really educational-ssu, Eri-senpai!” (Rita)

“Rita-chan!?” (Claude)

Claude turned around in a panic.

“Hey, Eri. Stop teaching weird stuff.” (Eugene)

So the black feather on my clothes before was intentional too.

After that, I handed over the documents requested by Principal Uther to Rita-san.

As expected, she let out a tired sigh. “Ugh… More work again-ssu yo.”

“Now, now, Rita-chan.” (Claude)

Claude tried to console her, so I left it to him.

I returned to the academy, and Ellie said, “I’m gonna sleep,” before heading back to the 7th Sealed Prison.

As expected, Claude’s new relationship was quickly discovered by Leona and Teresia.

They were apparently grilling him about it.

On top of that, Sumire and Sara confronted me.

“Eugy-kun, you knew!?” (Sumire)

“Eugene, confess!” (Sara)

They both interrogated me.

Only Airi reacted differently.

“As expected of Eugy’s friend. Going after an angel, huh?” (Airi)

She seemed oddly impressed.

—Peaceful days continued for a while after that.

I helped Sumire with her magic training.

Lily Whitewind joined in while sparring with Sara and Airi in sword training.

For some reason, Claude started asking me for relationship advice.

Eri was as unpredictable as ever, summoning me whenever she felt like it.

The horn of Kirin, which we fought alongside the swordsmanship club, was set to be auctioned off.

President Robert, the key figure in breaking through the 200th Floor, was rumored to be graduating from the academy, as he had been chosen as a candidate for the position of Holy Knight Commander Candidate upon his return to the Holy Union.

When I asked him about it, President Robert confirmed that he would take the academy’s graduation exam in about six months before heading back to the Holy Union.

Before that, he requested me to be his sparring partner, which I gladly accepted.

I haven’t seen Principal Uther for some time.

It seemed he was busy researching something.

◇One Morning◇

Just as the sun had begun to rise…

“RIIIIIIIIIIIIING!!!!!!!”

A loud bell echoed throughout the Dungeon City.

—Emergency alert! Emergency alert!

Even in my dorm room, I could hear the announcement from the Dungeon Guild.

—All explorers in the Dungeon City, assemble at the Zenith Tower immediately! I repeat…

Something was happening.

■Comments Response: 

>So even angels have those desires.

-Erinyes was originally an elite angel.

The mom of Eugene, Laila-san, is also an angel, so they do have those desires normally. 

>I see, so the third of the last trials is to turn into a woman, huh. 

-There’s no turning into a woman… There shouldn’t be.

No plans for that as of now. 

But…it is not impossible…? (Already not sure)

• ZAP – Chapter 159: The Anomaly in the Last Dungeon (Part 1)

Kaaan… Kaaan… Kaaan… Kaaan…

The bell signaling an emergency in the Dungeon City rang out.

Following a summon from the Dungeon Guild, I prepared to head toward the Last Dungeon.

I quickly gathered my exploration gear and strapped my Heaven Sword and Black Katana to my waist.

(I wonder what Sumire and Sara are doing?) (Eugene)

Normally, we would decide on a meeting spot or gather in the Legendary Hero Department classroom, but…

(Eugene, use thought transmission.) (Eri)

The voice of Eri reached my mind.

Her tone was unusually serious.

(I can’t use thought transmission though.) (Eugene)

(You should be able to use it with Sumire, since you’re contract-bound. Try it. First, detect her with mana perception, then extend a mana link as if casting it far away.) (Eri)

(Got it. I’ll give it a try.) (Eugene)

I followed Eri’s instructions, and activated my mana perception.

Sumire’s mana was immense and easy to locate since she is an Ifrit.

I attempted to connect my mana to hers.

(Mana linking is usually done through direct touch, so sending it long-distance is tricky…) (Eugene)

(Infuse your voice with mana and call out to her. It’s easier to connect with a contract-bound partner.) (Eri)

(Understood… Sumire, can you hear me? …Sumire?) (Eugene)

I kept calling out, but there was no response.

For a moment, I hesitated, wondering if it would be faster to just go look for her instead.

—Eugy-kun!? Huh? What is this?

Sumire’s voice came through.

It seemed to have worked.

(Sumire, where are you right now?) (Eugene)

—Wawa, so it wasn’t my imagination. That was really Eugy-kun’s voice. Um, I’m with Sara-chan and Airi-chan, discussing where we should go.

(Understood. Then let’s meet at the academy’s 3rd Training Ground before heading to the Zenith Tower. Let Sara and Airi know too.) (Eugene)

—Okay! Got it!

Sumire replied energetically before the telepathic link cut off.

(Well? Convenient, isn’t it, Eugene?) (Eri)

(Yeah, that really helped, Eri. Thanks.) (Eugene)

(You’re welcome. But listen, the Zenith Tower is acting really strange right now. Be careful.) (Eri)

(Strange?) (Eugene)

(My Clairvoyance…isn’t working. I also haven’t heard from Rita… And on top of that, I just have a really bad feeling.) (Eri)

(…Got it. I’ll be extra cautious.) (Eugene)

(Don’t die, Eugene.) (Eri)

Eri ended the telepathic link with those ominous words.

She wasn’t the type to use vague expressions like “bad feeling.”

Her Clairvoyance is highly accurate, unlike mine.

And yet, she said she couldn’t see the future.

A sense of unease settled in my chest as I rushed toward the meeting point with Sumire and the others.

◇

Zuzuzu…

The ground trembled slightly.

“Kyah!”

“Whoa!”

“Watch your step, don’t fall!”

The academy’s training ground was already crowded with people.

I didn’t search with my eyes; I used mana perception.

Even among the magic academy’s students, many of whom had considerable mana, Sumire’s stood out as exceptionally large, located ahead to the right.

(This is pretty useful.) (Eugene)

I used Sky Walk to maneuver through the crowd and reached Sumire.

“Sumire!” (Eugene)

“Wah! Eugy-kun suddenly appeared!?” (Sumire)

“Eugy! I’m glad we found you.” (Airi)

Sumire was with my childhood friend.

“Airi, you were here too. What about Sara?” (Eugene)

Sumire said they were together.

“Sara-chan went to meet with the student council members. They need to evacuate the students who can’t fight.” (Sumire)

“I see. Got it.” (Eugene)

Kaaan… Kaaan… Kaaan… Kaaan…

The emergency bell continued to toll ominously across the entire Dungeon city.

Civilians were required to evacuate outside the city whenever this bell rang.

This is my first time hearing it as far as I know.

“Airi, you’re in the student council, aren’t you? Shouldn’t you go to Sara’s side?” (Eugene)

I asked, and…

“I told her that, but she said it would be dangerous to leave Sumire alone, so she ordered me to stay with her until we met up with you.” (Airi)

“Geez! I’ve trained and gotten stronger too. I can at least go find Eugy-kun by myself.” (Sumire)

Sumire puffed her cheeks slightly in protest at Airi’s words.

“No, the entire Dungeon city feels off. It’s best not to act alone. Sumire, Airi, stick together. First, let’s follow the Dungeon Guild’s announcement and head to the Zenith Tower to gather information.” (Eugene)

“Eh… but I need to regroup with the student council—” (Airi)

“Airi, stay with us.” (Eugene)

“F-Fine.” (Airi)

I cut off Airi’s protest firmly.

Sumire looked like she wanted to say something but kept quiet.

I took the lead, with Sumire and Airi following behind.

*Zuzuzu…*

The ground shook again.

These small tremors have been occurring at regular intervals for the past few minutes.

(Something’s off…) (Eugene)

Earthquakes were rare in the Dungeon city.

The lack of panic was likely because explorers were accustomed to facing various natural disasters in the Zenith Tower: violent winds, blizzards, torrential rains, tornadoes, and even earthquakes.

Some monsters even caused earthquakes, so small tremors alone weren’t alarming to seasoned explorers.

“Hey, Eugy-kun, what do you think this earthquake is about?” (Sumire)

Sumire, being relatively new to exploring, looked uneasy.

“It’s definitely not just a normal earthquake. Either a monster that causes tremors has escaped from the Zenith Tower… or something even bigger is happening.” (Eugene)

“Eugy, are earthquakes unusual here?” (Airi)

Airi, who hasn’t been in the Dungeon City long, didn’t seem to grasp the situation.

The imperial capital had frequent earthquakes after all.

Mainly because of the Great Demonic Beast.

“Ah, I’ve experienced them inside the Dungeon, but outside, this is my first time.” (Eugene)

“……”

Airi’s expression turned even more serious at my words.

We arrived near the entrance of the Zenith Tower as we talked.

A large number of explorers had already gathered.

There were probably over three hundred of them.

And there was one area that was clearly abnormal.

The place where I had previously fought the Divine Beast, Byakko, alongside my classmates from the Legendary Hero Department.

The Zenith Tower’s zero floor, where the Trial of the Gods appear randomly and without warning.

Floating there were dozens of golden magic circles.

The spell formation was Summoning Magic.

I don’t know what is being summoned, but given the circumstances, the likelihood of it being a Divine Beast is high.

“Um… Is this a Trial of the Gods…?” (Sumire)

Sumire muttered.

“But doesn’t something feel off?” (Airi)

As Airi pointed out, all twelve of the Dungeon City’s Guardian Knights were gathered, their expressions grim as they discussed something.

At the center of it all was Principal Uther.

It is unusual for him to be wearing a magic sword at his waist and even carrying a staff.

Other well-known high-ranking explorers were also present.

Meanwhile, senior officials from the Dungeon Guild were explaining something.

Both groups seemed deeply engaged, making it impossible to interrupt.

(There’s no helping it. We’ll have to wait for the next instructions from the Dungeon Guild.) (Eugene)

Still, I wanted to gather as much information as possible.

*…Zuzuzu… Zuzuzu…*

The ground trembled again.

It felt stronger than before.

Which meant that the epicenter of this anomaly was indeed here.

An irregularity occurring within the zero floor trial.

The first thing that came to mind was the Dungeon Master, Anemoi Babel.

“Did the Dungeon Master mess up again?” (Eugene)

“Seems likely.” (Sumire)

“She did unseal the Hydra last time, after all.” (Airi)

Sumire and Airi nodded at my guess.

Anemoi-san…

Even a newcomer like Airi is suspicious of you at this point.

Of course, there was a reason I brought up her name.

The person most likely to know the details of this incident would be the Dungeon Master.

And in the Zenith Tower, mentioning the Dungeon Master’s name often made her appear.

But unfortunately, not this time.

“Oh? Eugene-kun. You’re here too, I see.” 

A red-haired elven mage appeared instead.

It was my senior, Rebecca J. Walker.

“Rebecca-senpai, did you just arrive?” (Eugene)

“Hmm, I came back after making sure the juniors were evacuated. But yeah… this is turning into a real hassle.” (Rebecca)

Rebecca-senpai wore a grim expression with her arms crossed.

Her gaze, naturally, was fixed on the numerous floating magic circles.

No, their numbers have been increasing since earlier.

There were now over a hundred.

“I wonder what’s being summoned. And it’s taking quite a while.” (Eugene)

“Hm? No, Eugene-kun, that’s not just summoning magic.” (Rebecca)

Rebecca-senpai denied my assumption.

“Huh?”

Sumire, Airi, and I all reacted in surprise.

(Did I misread the spell formula…?) (Eugene)

I carefully reexamined the golden magic circles’ spell structure.

The formations were written in three components using magic language.

First Script: [Gate Creation]’s Mana Words

Second Script: [Path Creation]’s Mana Words

Third Script: [Invocation]’s Mana Words

“It’s definitely summoning magic, though?” (Eugene)

“Look closer. Not all of them are summoning spells, are they?” (Rebecca)

Following Rebecca-senpai’s advice, I checked some of the other magic circles.

First Script: [Gate Creation]’s Mana Words

Second Script: [Path Creation]’s Mana Words

Third Script: [Gate Unlocking]’s Mana Words

Unlike summoning magic, which required [Invocation], this one had [Gate Unlocking] instead.

“Huh? Then this is…?” (Eugene)

“It’s been simplified a lot, but some of these are spatial teleportation magic circles. In other words, something is trying to come here.” (Rebecca)

“A Divine Beast…willingly coming here?” (Eugene)

“Yeah…it doesn’t seem possible, does it?” (Rebecca)

Even Rebecca-senpai looked bewildered.

And for good reason.

That just didn’t seem plausible at all.

*…Zun!!*

A powerful tremor shook the ground.

“Kyah!”

“You okay, Sumire?” (Airi)

Airi caught Sumire before she could fall.

And then, I saw it.

The moment the earthquake struck, more magic circles appeared.

“You saw that, right, Eugene-kun?” (Rebecca)

Rebecca-senpai’s expression was grim.

“Yeah, more magic circles. But I don’t know what that means…” (Eugene)

I had no idea as someone who couldn’t use teleportation magic.

“I see… You guys don’t use Teleport, so you don’t know, huh… Normally, teleportation magic doesn’t disrupt the environment before or after the transfer. To prevent failure, the surroundings at the departure and arrival points should be as similar as possible. But right now, what’s happening in front of us is…” (Rebecca)

“Something so massive that just attempting to come here is  causing earthquakes…?” (Eugene)

Rebecca-senpai nodded at my words.

“…Eugy-kun.” (Sumire)

Sumire grabbed my arm.

I met Airi’s eyes.

Sumire had great potential but was inexperienced in battle.

Airi was highly skilled but, as the next Empress, shouldn’t be on the front lines.

I asked them to come with me because I didn’t want them acting alone, but…this place might be too dangerous.

“Airi, take Sumire and evacuate outside the Dungeon City—” (Eugene)

Before I could finish my suggestion…

“No way.” (Sumire)

“I’m not leaving now.” (Airi)

The two refused to evacuate.

I wanted to convince them, but…

“Our chat ends here, I think… It’s coming.” (Rebecca)

We turned our attention back to the magic circles at Rebecca-senpai’s words.

A particularly massive magic circle was forming in the air.

It was large enough to fit a full-grown dragon.

From within it…

An enormous red monster’s arm emerged.

■Comments Response:

>Looks like Eri is a fallen angel that corrupts her juniors. 

-Great to see a fallen angel part of her.

>>I forcefully pull the Demon Lord that is trying to resist.

>I thought Eri was overwhelmingly above Eri in terms of raw strength though.

>Has Eugene grown enough to pull Eri by force?

-She is simply trying to act frail. She could have easily brushed him off if she were serious.

>Huh? What would happen to Babel if the seal is broken?

>The energy wouldn’t be enough and it won’t function?

-There were a lot of comments regarding this. I will answer it now. 

When an Evil God (a certain Old Goddess)’s seal is broken, and the Evil God goes to another planet, the planet slowly loses mana.

It is possible the Zenith Tower won’t be able to function after tens of thousands of years. 

The mana of the Evil God is on another level, so it is not like the Zenith Tower will stop working immediately. 

It at the very least won’t affect the exploration of Eugene and his group. 

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