Chapter 202: A Scenario (I)
"Bifur—wha? What does that mean?" Hassan asked, and this time, it was the usually quiet White Raven who answered.
"It means to bisect a person in two halves right down the middle."
Hassan paused, raising an eyebrow in surprise as he looked at her. He gave her a subtle nod of acknowledgement before turning his gaze back to the holographic projection on the wall.
"I mean, they could’ve just said bisect..." he muttered under his breath. "What’s with the fancy words..."
His voice trailed off completely as the projection on the wall changed. High in the sky above the trapped ascenders on Floor 1, a dark, monstrous silhouette suddenly materialized.
It looked like a shadowy wraith... a literal harbinger of death. It had three different-facing heads, though none of its faces could be made out clearly. It had sixteen arms, all of which held long shadowy swords that looked like an extension of its form.
"Death by Total Bifurcation is not just a method of execution..." Handler Roy spoke, his voice unusually solemn.
Every member of the human team watched in silent attention. Even though they were watching from behind a screen, they couldn’t tear their gazes from the shadowy figure, just like the ascenders trapped on the floor couldn’t either.
There were billions of them, and they had all gone rigid and enthralled. It was as though the shadowy existence they were gazing upon was some sort of divine being that had transcended their understanding.
"...It is a higher technique belonging to a regal figure of an age long gone," Roy continued quietly. "He perished in this Tower at some point in the distant past... but his existence was so mighty, his climb up the Path of Ascension so deep, that his shadow lives on, able to be summoned by the Tower Master like this..."
Viewers! Ready yourselves! Keep your eyes peeled! For if you blink, you might miss it!!
The shadowy figure braced itself slightly, its many swords at the ready. Suddenly, a mysterious aura roiled off the figure. One that made Uhtred’s eyes widen dramatically as he watched.
Then, with a slow, casual movement, the figure struck.
Its sixteen arms moved in the same fluid, easy downward swing, yet none of the swords were blocked by the other, each following their own specific paths that covered every single angle around the figure.
Nothing happened at first... then in an instant, the bodies closest to the sky trembled.
A blob-like alien suddenly slid into two equal halves. An insectoid was bisected in the same way. A humanoid alien. An gaseous entity. It didn’t matter what shape, form, or size they were, like a chain reaction, bodies began to split in half and drop to the ground en masse.
For Uhtred and the human team, even though they were watching safely from behind a screen, the sight was enough to make their hair stand on end.
Beautiful...
Despite knowing fully well that those were billions of lives being killed, the first thought that crossed Uhtred’s mind was how beautiful the strike was. That was just how mesmerized and enthralled it made all watchers feel.
"What the hell am I watching..." Hassan muttered breathlessly. And he wasn’t the only one.
Black Sun Mateo in particular, was having a harder time breathing. This was the first time he was seeing a strike so far out of his comprehension, yet so familiar and simple-looking at the same time.
As someone who was extremely fond of weapons, this was even more significant for him.
Handler Roy waved his hand again, and the screen disappeared.
Surprisingly, no one complained or asked him to bring it back. After the screen disappeared, they all seemed to come to their senses and consciously realize that they had just witnessed the deaths of billions.
Many of those that just died were likely hopeful and innocent ascenders who simply wanted to keep climbing up the path of ascension. They had just begun their journeys in this grand new multiverse, yet their dreams and aspirations had been cut short, never to see the light of the day.
The reality sank in that it easily could have been them. Many of those ascenders definitely had the skills to make it. But due to bad luck, a lack of quick thinking, or maybe just being fucked over by someone else on their way up, they were dead.
For all ten champions of planet Earth, this was a solemn, wake-up call to the grim reality of this tower.
"You can quit now if you so please," Roy spoke gently, breaking the silence. "The Tower never forces anyone. But once you step onto a floor, there are no take-backs. Before I explain the rules of the next floor, this is your chance to step away if you’re not up for it."
He waited, watching them.
Uhtred didn’t know about anyone else, but he stood silently and analyzed what he felt.
No damn way.
His decision was already made. This was just a part of it. Just like with Don Luciano Vanezzi and his sons, Uhtred knew this was simply the way.
On the path of ascension, in the quest for power, many would fall. Recognizing and acknowledging them was a human thing. But he couldn’t let such things deter his own personal journey.
His gaze firmed and he stared at Roy, waiting.
Around the room, the other nine human ascenders went through different thought processes personal to their mindset, but they all came to the same conclusion.
Despite how sadistic the tower trial was and how dangerous it was to climb, the greater death would be leaving so early without ever having challenged themselves. This was simply the path to power, it came with dangers, nothing more.
"Alright," Roy nodded at their firm expressions, stroking his long rat whiskers. His tone turned sprightly again, and he clapped. "Well then, I guess explanations are in order."
"As you’ve all realized by now, the first floor was nothing more than a filtering ground," Roy began. "The tower trials are nowhere as straightforward as that. For the next floor, you will begin the real thing."
"You’re going to be entering a scenario."
"A scenario?" Uhtred asked. Even with the intelligence he had pulled from the Andronian Inheritance Shard, this was unfamiliar territory. The Shard had not gone into the nitty-gritty details besides some broad tips.
"Yes, a scenario," Roy nodded. "On Floor 2, there are innumerable scenarios tailored to your race. No matter how unique you humans think you are, there have been countless iterations of your race scattered across the Grand Multiverse throughout history."
"Other humans?"
"Yes. But they aren’t called ’humans,’ though," Roy corrected, raising a finger. "That’s your translation device at work. By your definition, they are humans, and by their definition you are... well, whatever they call themselves."
The idea was fascinating. The fact that there were races out there that were indistinguishable from humans, yet lived totally alien lives and called themselves a totally different name intrigued Uhtred.
"But how does that concern us, though?" he asked. "We’re in the tower. You said there are other human races ’out there in the multiverse.’ That means they’re already established and past their integration phase, right?"