“And how exactly am I supposed to believe that?”

Liu Xiaolong remained composed in the face of Li Jing’s threatening outburst.

“Believe it or not, that’s your prerogative. I’ve merely stated the facts.”

Li Jing slowly tensed his finger, shaped like a gun, and leveled it at his opponent in a threatening gesture.

“Reveal Mirinae’s name.”

“I’m no fool. The moment I reveal that, my value vanishes. Do you truly expect me to comply?”

Paang!

A mana bullet was fired from Li Jing’s fingertip.

Ppuhk!

Blood sprayed from the side of Liu Xiaolong’s head.

But it had only grazed the side.

A slight deviation in trajectory could have blown a hole straight through his skull, yet Liu Xiaolong maintained his composure.

“I’ll spare your life if you reveal who Mirinae is. But if you die here, you know better than anyone what will become of your younger sister. I urge you to choose the path that benefits you, your sister, and all the people of China. Consider this advice… and your final warning.”

The angle of his fingertip shifted back to dead center between Liu Xiaolong’s eyes.

Liu Xiaolong closed his eyes for a moment.

Revealing Mirinae’s identity here.

It might have been, as Li Jing suggested, the only way for him and his sister to survive.

But.

That would be the worst possible choice.

Mirinae.

Or more precisely, recalling the valor and brutality of his summoned beings.

It was the one decision he absolutely could not make.

Whether he lived or died here.

The moment Mirinae intervened, the Chinese terrorists would have only one path ahead of them.

And the Mirinae he had witnessed firsthand…

If it was Shin Jungho.

There was a part of him that believed the man would appreciate his efforts and take good care of his surviving sister.

After silently bidding farewell to Liu Huiying in his heart, Liu Xiaolong quietly opened his eyes.

His gaze held an unbreakable conviction that nothing could shatter.

“Wait twenty minutes.”

“…What nonsense is that?”

“Mirinae’s clear time for the fifties was approximately twenty minutes. So if he’s currently clearing the sixtieth floor… we should soon see an announcement confirming his status.”

This too was mere speculation on his part, but he provided specific details to lend credibility to his claim.

Whether that intention had worked to some extent.

Li Jing’s contemplation deepened.

His primary objective was to annihilate every last Seoul superhuman present in this room.

And that was essentially like dealing with fish already caught.

He had already confirmed with his own eyes that the Seoul superhumans’ skills were sealed.

And it was abundantly clear they couldn’t flee to the Tower either.

So taking their lives would be trivial.

The question was whether Mirinae was present here.

He had kept the possibility that Liu Xiaolong’s words were a bluff firmly in mind.

Mirinae might be present here, and this could be a ploy to conceal that fact.

He could always verify later by checking the casualty list after killing everyone present.

But if Liu Xiaolong was telling the truth and Mirinae genuinely wasn’t here, that would be highly problematic.

In that case, he would need to use the superhumans here as hostages to lure Mirinae out, or at the very least, identify him.

While there was nothing to gain from stalling for time.

Twenty minutes, as Liu Xiaolong suggested, wasn’t a bad condition for uncovering Mirinae’s identity.

What would be the best course of action?

Shoot a few superhumans as an example?

Or eliminate the rankers first?

After deliberation, Li Jing decided to kill one ranker.

It was important to project the impression that he held the upper hand.

Yes… the woman who commanded lightning would do nicely.

“The Electric Empress, was it? Stand her up.”

Liu Xiaolong perceived Li Jing’s intent and voiced his objection.

“Such an action won’t help much in summoning Mirinae.”

“I make the decisions here.”

“If you kill a Seoul ranker so easily, do you think Mirinae will want to show his face here?”

“I said I make the decisions!”

Li Jing swiveled his fingertip toward Park Soyul.

“Urk.”

“Heek.”

The superhumans around Park Soyul hastily scrambled away from her.

At the sight.

Park Soyul let out a bitter smile and rose to her feet, brushing herself off.

Rather than groveling pathetically for her life.

She would rather face her adversary eye to eye as an equal and declare her intentions with dignity!

He might be able to kill the human being Park Soyul here.

But the resolute spirit she had cultivated throughout her life—that, he could never kill.

The corner of Park Soyul’s mouth quirked upward.

“What are you waiting for? Go ahead and shoot.”

She was an enemy, but an undeniably formidable woman of spirit.

Just as Li Jing suppressed a scoff and moved to oblige her.

“No! What are you doing, unnie!”

Lee Seoah, who had been standing nearby, stepped in front of her.

“Aha! You’re forcing my hand after all!”

Likewise, Yoon Changdae boldly stepped forward, his massive frame shielding both women.

Having completed his pragmatic calculation that blocking with both arms might at least withstand a single shot.

And before the three Seoul rankers.

“If you’re going to kill someone… start with me.”

Liu Xiaolong, who seemingly had no connection to this situation whatsoever, positioned himself directly in front, blocking Li Jing’s aim.

Li Jing was momentarily speechless at the absurdity of the situation.

A Shanghai superhuman protecting Seoul superhumans.

Yet somewhere within him, a faint feeling emerged.

Envy.

If such a terrorist attack occurred in Shanghai, would any ranker sacrifice their life for another?

The Shanghai rankers gathered here were all merely following orders they couldn’t refuse.

If one of them were under threat of death, the others would likely be inwardly praying for them to hurry up and die.

That way, they could claim the fallen ranker’s share.

A truly bitter… reality of the Shanghai Tower.

Li Jing quietly organized his thoughts.

Wait a bit longer, as Liu Xiaolong suggested, and observe Mirinae’s response.

Or slaughter every superhuman present and leave immediately.

The solution hinged on Mirinae.

Just how long could Mirinae keep his identity hidden?

If all the high-floor Seoul superhumans were killed, Mirinae would be the only one left to shoulder responsibility for the Seoul Tower.

Then, simply discovering who had been trading items from the upper floors might be enough to identify him.

Yes.

Kill them all!

Just as the scales in his mind tipped to one side.

[Announcement: Mirinae has cleared the 60th floor of the Tower 25 in record time.]

Color returned to the faces of the Seoul superhumans as they read the announcement.

They lowered their voices and whispered.

“Whoa, he really was clearing a floor?”

“Does that mean Mirinae will come save us?”

“But he won’t be able to use his powers here either, right?”

Unlike the Seoul superhumans’ concerns.

Liu Xiaolong revealed the announcement to Li Jing with a visibly relaxed expression.

“Mirinae just cleared the sixtieth floor.”

Li Jing, who had been about to eliminate the superhumans, reconsidered.

Though he couldn’t see the Seoul Tower’s announcement, the expressions on the Seoul superhumans’ faces told him everything he needed to know.

“Then I’ll simply use you as hostages to lure Mirinae to this location.”

Liu Xiaolong chuckled and asked.

“Are you sure that’s wise?”

“What do you mean?”

“If Mirinae comes here… I’m asking whether you’ll be able to handle him.”

Li Jing wondered what kind of nonsensical rambling this was.

There was no way Mirinae could ignore the effects of this Domain Tower-ification Scroll.

At best, the only factor worth considering was whatever summon came from his Summoning Stone.

But a summon was limited to one at most, while they had twenty-four top-tier superhumans.

No matter how much a single summon rampaged, it couldn’t possibly pose a threat to them within this domain.

Liu Xiaolong surely knew this as well.

Yet his confident smile carried an inexplicably chilling undertone.

Was it… just his imagination?

* * *

Emerging from the Tower after clearing the sixtieth floor, he found chaos awaiting him.

– Currently, all guests attending the Banquet of Stars have been detained by Shanghai superhumans! In particular, the scroll used by Li Jing, a sixty-sixth-floor superhuman from Shanghai, is believed to possess the effect of sealing the abilities of Seoul superhumans…

He had intended to observe the Seoul superhumans’ reactions through the live broadcast after completing his run.

But he never expected to find such pandemonium unfolding.

Moreover, the standoff between Li Jing and Liu Xiaolong, Yoon Changdae, Lee Seoah, and Park Soyul looked gravely serious.

Here, time spent deliberating was a luxury.

“Lea, Maya, Clara! Let’s go save the Seoul superhumans!”

The plan was simple.

Apparently, some peculiar item had been used to render the Seoul superhumans powerless.

But that had nothing to do with him.

Even if he could use his skills, he couldn’t exactly drop a meteor in the middle of Seoul, could he?

Rather, simply deploying the Remacle Trio would resolve the situation immediately.

So what was the method?

First, Teleport to a location near the hotel hosting the Banquet of Stars.

Then, grab any door and reconnect it to the Dimensional Room.

Send out the Remacle Trio.

That would instantly end the crisis.

Before departing immediately, Shin Jungho decided to open the Platinum Random Box.

It wouldn’t take long.

And perhaps it might yield something useful for the current situation.

Ppeobeong!

[You have acquired an Arcane Forge Enhancement Ticket.]

…What?

Why would he enhance the Arcane Forge at a time like this?

Without wasting another moment, Shin Jungho used Teleport to locate the hotel.

And at that very instant.

[Announcement: Mirinae has achieved 60 consecutive Amazing Achievements in the Tower 25!]

A new announcement appeared.

So the sixtieth consecutive one did grant a blessing after all.

Shin Jungho glanced at the announcement while surveying where to Teleport.

[Announcement: Guardian’s Protection is permanently activated in the Tower 25.]

[Announcement: While Guardian’s Protection is active, only awakeners affiliated with the Tower 25 may use abilities and items. Additionally, Guardian’s Blessing, which blocks one fatal attack, is bestowed within the Tower.]

[Announcement: If Mirinae is absent from the Tower 25, Guardian’s Protection will immediately dissipate.]

Shin Jungho.

Canceled the Teleport.

Looking at the television screen broadcasting live.

It seemed there was absolutely no need for him to go there.

* * *

“Kuhahahahahahahaha!”

The person who assessed the situation and reacted faster than anyone else was undoubtedly Iron Heart, Yoon Changdae.

Good heavens!

Guardian’s Protection?

Only awakeners affiliated with the Tower 25 could use abilities and items?

Its validity was immediately confirmed as his usual power returned in full.

“Holy shit!”

“Damn! We can access the Tower Community Forum again now!”

“Uwaaaah! It’s Mireluyaaaa!”

The Seoul superhumans screamed like madmen.

Some superhumans even rushed into the Tower to take shelter.

Just as everyone was causing an uproar and pandemonium threatened to spiral out of control.

Kkwagwagwang!

Park Soyul unleashed a bolt of lightning toward the ceiling, forcibly silencing the frenzied superhumans.

“Quiet.”

Park Soyul’s gentle yet lethal voice slowly spread through the banquet hall, which had fallen into dead silence.

Pajijijik!

Everyone tensed up, holding even their breath, at the unspoken threat that anyone who opened their mouth would immediately taste lightning.

Li Jing, more bewildered than anyone by this turn of events.

Immediately aimed his finger and fired a skill at his opponent.

But.

Not a single ounce of energy discharged from his fingertip.

Park Soyul sneered and taunted him.

“Tsk, you’re not even a child… and yet you enjoy playing finger guns?”

Though he couldn’t fully grasp the exact meaning of her words.

He somehow intuited their implication.

Li Jing’s face flushed crimson with rage as he immediately commanded the surrounding strike force.

“What are you waiting for! Wipe them out at once!”

At Li Jing’s command, the Shanghai superhumans with ranged attack skills attempted to use their powers.

But not a single one succeeded.

In truth.

They knew all too well.

They had already.

Become ordinary civilians, no longer superhumans.

The very same crushing helplessness the Seoul superhumans had felt until just moments ago.

Was now their reality.

Yoon Changdae stepped forward, striking his fists against his palms with loud smacks.

“Kuhahahahaha! Go on, say it… who’s fucked now!”

Li Jing, watching the situation reverse entirely.

Recalled the final order he had never wanted to utter during this operation.

In the unlikely event that the operation failed.

It had to be concluded that this incident was solely the result of their own rogue actions.

“Everyone… commit suicide!”

Li Jing was the first to grip his sword in a reverse hold.

“Like hell I will!”

Kkwagwagwang!

Simultaneously, lightning erupted forth.