Chapter 389 -: 388 You have finnally come.

Chapter 389: Chapter: 388 You have finnally come.

Chaos had engulfed the entire coliseum, and Julius had no idea how many powerful beings had arrived or how many were still hiding among the flames and rubble.

However, he could sense their auras spreading across the battlefield, each one carrying enough pressure to make his instincts scream at him to stay away.

Some were so powerful that he couldn’t even determine their exact strength, and considering the number of combatants already fighting in the sky, he had little doubt that the situation would only get worse from here.

’Damn it, I should have entered the tower when I had the chance!’

Julius cursed inwardly, feeling a bitter regret settle in his chest. If he had known that the attack would happen so soon, he would never have wasted his time meeting Alfred.

He had wanted to let the old butler know he was safe, but now that decision had cost him precious time, and the consequences could be far worse than he had initially anticipated.

He couldn’t exactly blame Alfred for what had happened, but that didn’t make the situation any less frustrating. He had been so focused on preparing for the future that he had failed to account for the possibility that it would arrive before he was ready.

The seals Destiny had placed on the gods were another matter entirely. Julius didn’t know how they worked, what conditions would cause them to break, or whether the gods would be released all at once or one after another.

What he did know was that once those seals were gone, the situation would become irredeemable.

The gods would descend upon the world, and both he and the Zlycons would be among their targets.

Destiny hadn’t explained why he and Rosalina would be killed, only telling him that he would understand the reason once he entered the 101st Treasure Tower. At the time, he had been too occupied with everything else to press her for a proper explanation, but now the uncertainty was beginning to gnaw at him.

He had a few suspicions of his own, though none of them offered much comfort.

Perhaps his status as someone who had come from another world was enough to make him an anomaly that the gods couldn’t allow to exist.

After all, he wasn’t supposed to be here in the first place, and if the gods had any knowledge of the world’s original course, his very existence might be a threat to whatever plans they had.

Rosalina, on the other hand, was a different matter. She was the Villainess of this world, a character whose existence had been intertwined with the world’s fate long before he had entered the picture.

If the gods were determined to restore something that had been disrupted, then perhaps both of them would be considered obstacles that needed to be removed.

Julius glanced at Rosalina from the corner of his eye, hoping to gauge her reaction to the unfolding disaster. However, the moment he saw her expression, he couldn’t help but sigh.

Her face had grown so cold that it seemed as though the surrounding temperature had dropped several degrees, and the change had begun the instant she caught sight of Victor Velentina.

Her fingers trembled slightly, the veins on the backs of her hands becoming increasingly prominent as she clenched them into fists.

She hadn’t said a word since then, but Julius could tell that she was struggling to contain the hatred boiling within her.

He wanted to say something to her, perhaps remind her that they had more pressing concerns than settling old scores, but he eventually decided against it.

Rosalina wasn’t a child who needed to be told when to control herself, and he doubted that a few words from him would make much difference while Victor was standing right there.

Besides, Julius understood that feeling better than he wanted to admit. There were plenty of people he would gladly punch in the face if given the opportunity, and Victor Velentina was rapidly becoming someone he wouldn’t mind seeing suffer.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t the time for personal grudges, and if they didn’t reach the tower soon, they might not have another opportunity to deal with anything at all.

The three of them finally arrived at the entrance to the coliseum, only to find that the passage had been partially destroyed by the explosions.

Large chunks of stone and twisted metal lay scattered across the ground, blocking the way forward, while the remaining walls threatened to collapse under the constant tremors shaking the structure.

Julius didn’t bother looking for another route. He and Rosalina exchanged a brief glance before lifting themselves into the air, intending to fly over the rubble and continue toward the 101st Treasure Tower.

They had barely moved when a layer of ice spread across their path.

The frost raced over the broken stone with startling speed, climbing over the rubble and forming a thick barrier that stretched from one side of the passage to the other.

Cold air swept across their faces, and the sudden drop in temperature made Julius narrow his eyes as he halted in midair. Whoever had cast the spell wasn’t trying to conceal their presence.

The mana gathered within the ice was dense enough that he could immediately identify the caster as a Void Core spell caster, though the barrier itself wasn’t what concerned him most.

"Humans!"

The shout came from their right.

Julius turned his head, and only then did he realize what had happened. During the chaos, his hood must have been burned away without him noticing, leaving his face exposed to everyone around him.

The tournament participants who had gathered nearby had recognized him, and several of them were now approaching with hostile expressions. Their auras flared as they spread out, cutting off the path around the ice barrier.

Judging by their uniforms and the mana signatures Julius could sense, most of them were Void Core spell casters who had been participating in the Grand Tournament.

He clicked his tongue in annoyance.

’If only Destiny had bothered to tell us something useful about the humans!’

The thought was unfair, perhaps, but Julius wasn’t in the mood to be reasonable.

It wasn’t difficult to understand why the Zlycons were so angry, but Julius didn’t have the time or patience to explain himself to every person who decided to stand in his way.

"Alfred, take care of them," he said, keeping his gaze fixed on the approaching spell casters. "But don’t put yourself in danger. If things get out of hand, retreat immediately."

Alfred inclined his head.

"As you wish, Young Master."

Julius didn’t wait for anything more. The moment Alfred moved to intercept the Zlycons, he accelerated forward with Rosalina close beside him, leaving the ice barrier and the gathered spell casters behind.

He had complete faith in the old butler’s abilities, despite knowing that Alfred had only reached the Fourth Trial.

The distinction between the Trials and the cores wasn’t always straightforward, but Julius had seen enough of Alfred’s capabilities to understand that the man was far more dangerous than his outward appearance suggested.

Unless an Infinite Core spell caster intervened, Julius doubted that anyone present could force Alfred into a disadvantageous position.

That didn’t mean Alfred was invincible, however, which was precisely why Julius had warned him not to take unnecessary risks. He trusted the old man to recognize when a situation had become dangerous, and he knew Alfred would never recklessly throw his life away merely to prove his strength. With that concern temporarily set aside, Julius focused on the destination ahead.

The distance between the coliseum and the 101st Treasure Tower disappeared beneath their feet. Julius and Rosalina moved so quickly that the surrounding buildings became little more than indistinct shapes, their figures crossing the streets and broken pathways before the people below could properly register their passage.

The sounds of battle gradually faded behind them, replaced by the rush of wind against their bodies, though the occasional explosion still sent tremors through the ground.

Julius didn’t slow down even when he sensed several powerful auras shifting in the distance. Whatever happened to the coliseum was no longer his immediate concern. He had to reach the tower before the situation deteriorated any further.

Within moments, the towering structure came into view.

The 101st Treasure Tower stood apart from the surrounding buildings, its enormous walls rising into the sky with an imposing grandeur that made the destruction elsewhere seem insignificant.

Julius had seen the tower before, of course, but this time he barely spared a glance at its exterior. He and Rosalina hurried toward the entrance, reaching out to touch the wall as they had been instructed.

If Destiny’s words were to be believed, the answers they needed were waiting inside, and every second spent outside was another second they couldn’t afford to lose.

Their hands were only inches away from the tower when a calm voice rang out behind them.

"Are you Julius Augustus Hayes and Rosalina Velentina?"

Julius stopped.

For a brief moment, he remained motionless, his hand suspended in front of the tower’s surface. Then he slowly turned toward the source of the voice, his eyes narrowing as he recognized the figure floating a short distance away.

’So you’ve finally decided to show yourself.’

The man was dressed in flowing white robes that fluttered gently in the wind, his long hair shifting around his shoulders as he regarded the pair with a faint smile.

There was nothing particularly threatening about his posture, and his expression carried the relaxed composure of someone who had no reason to fear the chaos unfolding elsewhere.

Yet Julius knew better than to judge him by appearances. The man before him wasn’t an ordinary spell caster or another participant who had somehow survived the destruction of the coliseum.

He was the War Master, the Great Sanachi.

Julius had expected him to interfere sooner or later, especially after everything Destiny had revealed about the future.

A man who possessed the ability to divine the threads of fate couldn’t possibly remain unaware of the events unfolding around him, and if Sanachi truly knew even a fraction of what was coming, there was no way he would simply ignore the arrival of two people who could potentially change the course of the world.

Julius had wondered when they would finally meet, though he hadn’t expected their first proper encounter to take place under such circumstances.

He drew a deep breath, his chest still rising and falling from the hurried flight, and decided not to waste time on pleasantries.

"You’re a diviner, so I don’t think I need to explain what will happen if you stop me from entering the tower," Julius said bluntly. "I’m not your enemy. In fact, I’m your savior, although you might not understand that until later. At least, that’s what your great-grandmother seems to believe."

Sanachi’s smile remained in place as he studied Julius, seemingly unbothered by the young man’s directness. Julius held his gaze without backing down, unwilling to give the older man the impression that he could be intimidated into abandoning his plans.

He didn’t know how much Sanachi had seen through his divinations, but if the man had any sense of what lay ahead, he should understand that wasting time here would serve neither of them.

"So I hope you won’t stop me," Julius concluded.

Sanachi stared at him for several seconds before letting out a quiet chuckle. He shook his head, his white robes billowing as a gust of wind passed between them.

"I think you’ve misunderstood why I’ve come here," he replied. "I’m not here to stop you, Julius. Quite the opposite, actually. I’m here to help you enter the tower."

Julius blinked.

For the first time since arriving, he found himself genuinely caught off guard. He had prepared himself for an argument, a warning, or perhaps even a confrontation with one of the most influential figures among the Zlycons.

He certainly hadn’t expected Sanachi to offer his assistance so readily, especially when the man had every reason to be suspicious of him.

Before Julius could ask what he meant, Sanachi continued.

"You see, my great-grandmother neglected to mention one rather important detail when she spoke to you. Perhaps she had her reasons, and I won’t pretend to understand all of them, but there are certain matters concerning the tower that even she couldn’t simply overlook."

He paused briefly, his smile widening as he watched Julius’s expression.

"You need a key to enter."

"A key?" Rosalina raised an eyebrow.

Julius turned toward her. Some of the tension in her expression had eased, although her eyes remained cold, and the anger Victor had stirred within her hadn’t entirely disappeared. At least she seemed to have regained enough composure to pay attention to their current predicament.

Sanachi nodded.

"Yes. You see, my grandfather, Vitra, was the one who created the 101st Treasure Tower. While the structure itself has existed for a very long time, its final floor was designed for a particular purpose, and access to it was restricted from the beginning. The key was never meant to be an ordinary object that could be stolen, traded, or passed from one person to another. It was entrusted to me, and without it, no one can enter the final floor."

He spoke with the casual confidence of someone explaining a simple arrangement, but Julius couldn’t help noticing the implications behind his words.

If even the direct descendants of Vitra couldn’t enter the tower without Sanachi’s permission, then the final floor must contain something important enough that its creator had gone to considerable lengths to protect it.

"Not even the direct descendants?" Rosalina asked.

"Not even them," Sanachi confirmed.

"My grandfather was concerned that knowledge of what lay beyond the final floor would encourage greed and cloud people’s judgment. Once the desire to obtain something becomes strong enough, even the people closest to you can become obstacles in your eyes. He didn’t want that to happen, so he kept the arrangement secret from almost everyone. There are very few people who know the truth, and I intend to keep it that way."

Julius stared at him, trying to determine whether there was some hidden condition attached to this offer. Sanachi was a diviner, a man who had spent a considerable portion of his life studying matters that ordinary people couldn’t even begin to comprehend.

He wasn’t the sort of person who would casually hand over access to a place his grandfather had gone to such lengths to protect. If he was helping them, then he either knew something Julius didn’t or had already reached a conclusion about the future that made their entry necessary.

Either possibility was worth considering, but Julius didn’t have the luxury of interrogating him at length.

"Then open the entrance," he said. "We don’t have time to stand around talking."

Sanachi chuckled again, seemingly amused by Julius’s impatience.

"You’re certainly direct. I suppose that’s one of the reasons she chose to place her trust in you."

Julius frowned at the vague remark, but before he could demand an explanation, Sanachi began moving toward them. His robes drifted around his body as he crossed the short distance separating them, his expression remaining as calm as ever.

Julius instinctively shifted his stance, positioning himself between the older man and Rosalina. He didn’t know Sanachi well enough to trust him completely, and the man’s willingness to help only made him more cautious. Until they were inside the tower, he wasn’t going to lower his guard.

Sanachi noticed the movement and let out an amused breath.

"There’s no need to be so wary. If I wanted to harm you, I wouldn’t have waited until you reached the entrance."

"That doesn’t mean you won’t," Julius replied.

"Fair enough."

Rather than arguing, Sanachi simply extended both hands toward them.

"For a long time, I’ve wondered when this day would finally arrive. I can’t say how many years have passed since my grandfather entrusted this responsibility to me, but I’ve waited long enough to recognize the moment when it finally comes. And now, after all this time, you’ve arrived."

Julius barely had time to react.

Sanachi seized his hand and Rosalina’s before either of them could properly object, and the instant his fingers closed around theirs, the air around them seemed to distort.

Julius’s eyes widened as he felt an unfamiliar force pull at his body, something that didn’t resemble ordinary teleportation or any spell he had encountered before.

He tried to withdraw his hand, instinctively gathering mana to resist, but the sensation only grew stronger, dragging him forward as though the space surrounding them had suddenly lost its meaning.

"Hey, wait a—"

His protest was cut short.

The tower, the wind, and the world around them vanished in an instant, replaced by an unfamiliar sensation that made it impossible for Julius to determine whether he was moving or standing still.

He tightened his grip on Rosalina’s hand, unwilling to risk being separated from her in whatever strange process Sanachi had initiated.

For a brief moment, he could sense nothing at all, and the absence of familiar surroundings left him with the unsettling impression that he had been pulled somewhere beyond the reach of ordinary space.

Then the sensation abruptly ended.

Julius felt his feet touch solid ground, and the world gradually returned to his senses. The air was different here, carrying a strange stillness that seemed entirely removed from the chaos outside.

He looked around, trying to understand where Sanachi had brought them, but before he could make sense of their surroundings, a voice echoed through the unfamiliar space.

"You have finally come..."