- Upcoming War -

"Why do you cry?"

Charlotte asked the pink- haired lady. Only in her realm that she could open both of her eyes again and see the light of the day, as well as the tears dripping from her eyes.

"Why do you cry?"

She had no idea why would she cry like that. Those pink eyes were wet because of tears now.

"If you are upset because I lose my eyes, then don't worry about it. We could try many other ways to solve this problem," Charlotte said coolly.

But it didn't seem to work. Or it didn't seem to be the main problem.

Sobbing and sobbing, how would she understand her if she keeps sobbing? Charlotte didn't know what she should do because she didn't understand why she was crying. All the pink- haired lady did was sobbing and wiping tears from her eyes, as well as apologizing to her again and again.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

Charlotte sighed. She was just like a child sometimes, she thought as she walked towards her and pulled her into a hug.

"Don't cry. It's not your fault. It's just that I'm a very unfortunate person."

"You don't understand," she replied as she hugged her back. "You don't understand."

"What do I not understand? Can't you tell me about it?"

There was no answer. All she did was pulling Charlotte into a tighter hug. Charlotte sighed and raised her head. She looked at the giant tree of her [ Morning Forest ].

'Is it worth it to walk this far when the outcome has been predestined?'

≪ ◦ ❖ ◦ ≫

"If only you were here to watch this with me, I wonder how you will react, Rashida."

A man smirked hearing the question Charlotte has asked.

"The blessed girl whose name means hope, yet she brought chaos and fear to her home. Rashida, do you really think that this girl inherits your power and your righteousness? But her brightness is simply a veil to cover the darkness inside her heart."

"My pawn, my blessed yet pitiful chess piece... you are the key of this game."

≪ ◦ ❖ ◦ ≫

Two days afterwards, the content of the three orders were given to the chairperson, Arvin Lou.

In the administration authorities, "Chairperson's office" "Wisdom", two important figures were discussing about the next steps they should take regarding the matter of three orders given by Zahard.

"For now, we've managed to stop the orders from spreading all over the administration thanks to the quick thinking of a high priest," one of them said.

"Quick thinking.....?"

A big green head with a pair of red eyes with glasses asked. He was floating on the room with only two hands without a body. That person was the chairman, Arvin Lou.

"We said that there happens to be a newly- recruited ranker and the orders came by when he was by himself. But this is his first experience, so he discarded it without knowing it. In the end, every employee under the high priest receives death sentence as punishment for that crime... but for now, we manage to intercept it on our end and file it as a classified mission."

Arvin Lou sighed, "What a relief. That manages to buy us some time."

"But it's only the matter of time until words about this spread out. Since the order would also be delivered to Adori Zahard, the captain of Zahard's Royal Guards, as per regulations."

"Yes... we'll have to carry out one of the orders before the Poe Bidau Family hears this."

"What did Adori Zahard say when she saw the order...?" Arvin Lou asked.

"Well, she's always a consistent person so she responded as expected. She said it's duty for all officials to ensure a war does not start and that she's 'merely a blade that cuts down all enemies of Zahard family'. She said that administration should strive for peace and that military would thrive to eliminate all three enemies."

A war was inevitable at the end.

Arvin Lou was aware of that and sighed again, this time in helplessness.

"She's still stubborn as ever."

"Yes. And the fact that she's capable of doing that is what makes her scary."

"All right. We better do something quickly."

≪ ◦ ❖ ◦ ≫

It was so quiet in the middle area of 91th Floor.

The middle- aged man sat outside his residence as he looked at the floating ships that were gathered in front of his house. And those floating ships appeared to be too hostile to be allies or friends.

He sighed, "You sure brought a lot of floating ships with you. The Zahard Family must have a lot of money lately. Bringing all those floating ships to a place that's going to be destroyed soon..."

There was no worry on his face. Instead, he grinned and asked, "Is this a declaration war or something? Answer me, Maschenny Zahard."

On the opposite direction, the woman with long and wavy blue hair with pale skin answered his question with malicious smirk, "Yes. There will be a war soon."

One of the Zahard Princesses, Khun Maschenny Zahard.

The middle- aged man stood up, "A war... I thought you had grown up a lot but you're still as delusional as those young reckless kids. Hey, do you know why there hasn't been a major war in this tower since those ancient wars?"

"Old people hate change. This may seem very unstable to some generations, but to us, who are used to this situation, we're afraid of things changing. The same goes to me," Ha Jinsung admitted. "Our bodies don't get sick or weaken as we age, they actually get stronger. But at some points, our minds get sick and become dull to everything. So we have adverse reaction even to the smallest change."

"We've become weathered by time. Making changes isn't something older generations like us should do. Change has already started to happen down there."

He turned around and ignored Khun Maschenny Zahard and the rest of floating ships, heading inside his residence, "So go wash up and sleep. Don't stir up fights for nothing."

"Has it really disappeared now?"

Ha Jinsung glanced at her, wondering what she meant.

"That rage of yours?"

He remembered an unpleasant memory.

"After losing the woman who you loved and finding out the reason that she died was deeply tied to the Zahard Family, you gladly became one of FUG's demons," Maschenny said. "Even if you say that the rage has hardened and sunk in your mind, I don't understand how it could fly away in the wind like that."

"It gets more intense and clings to you even firmer as time passes and you recall those memories. That's the kind of emotion 'rage' is."

As one of the floating ships prepared its attack, she also turned herself around and walked back.

"And as long as that rage lives, war can break out anytime," she added before she gave her order, "Fire."

Like what he said indeed, the place was going to be destroyed soon. And just one attack from the floating ship was more than enough to destroy his residence. But not him.

"The target suffered zero damage! We haven't found any separated shinsu barrier! I can't believe he blocked our attack just with his bare body!" One of them shouted from the floating ship. "He sure is a high ranker...!"

"Attacking me first like that... all Zahard Princesses sure have nasty personalities."

"Princess! What should we do now?!" Her underling asked in hope for an answer that could get them leave the place alive.

But their princess seemed to have a different kind of plan.

"What do you think? We just messed with an ancient beast. It's time for your honorable death."

"WHAT?!"

≪ ◦ ❖ ◦ ≫

"YOU'RE AWAKE! YOU TOOK SO LONG TO WAKE UP THAT I WAS WONDERING IF YOU ARE DEAD!"

"OW! THAT HURTS! MY NECK! Y... YOU'RE BREAKING MY NECK!"

"OH SORRY!"

When people outside Bam's room heard Yuri's voice as well as his, they knew that Bam was the first to wake up and rushed inside immediately.

"BAM! YOU'RE AWAKE!" Boro shouted as he was the first to enter the room and see Bam was healthy and fine, not missing a single body part.

"Guys....! What happened?" Bam asked. "We were in the Hidden Floor---"

"SSHH! THAT'S ENOUGH!" Boro interrupted his words in panic.

Hockney raised his canvas.

The two words "NO TALK!!" were written as big as it could and colored in red. And his eyes were telling him to stay silent and not to say a single word about it.

Bam remembered one of the rules of Hidden Floor that the existence of the floor must never be mentioned, otherwise he will lose all the memories he had about that floor.

He looked at the regulars there. Endorsi, Boro, Hockney, Bero- Bero, some of them were there... but some people who he looked for were missing.

"But where are everyone else?" He asked. "Are they all safe? What about Charlotte?"

His sister who was fighting for her survival and her place in the group, he was still worried for her condition. He was very worried about her that the moment when he received the bad news, things felt worse for him.

"CHARLOTTE!!!"

Some of the White Chocolate members, Estrella, Estelle and Altaira were there. The atmosphere was a mix between happiness that she was awake and sadness that she was now blind. The girl was awake already, but her eyes were covered with white blindfold.

"BROTHER!" Charlotte called him with a smile as he ran towards her. He ran next to her bed to see her from close and discovered that it was the truth. It was a fact that now his sister could no longer see.

"How's your body?" She asked the moment he held her hand. He confirmed it with his own golden eyes, that she had lost her sight. He held his breath as she reached out her left hand, trying to touch him. "Are your injuries healed now? Do you need my help---"

".... your eyes."

When he mentioned about her eyes, she paused at her own words.

"My eyes...."

She held the blindfold covering her eyes gently. And then she smiled and raised her head again, looking at Bam.

"I'm fine, brother," she said with an assuring smile, like everything was truly fine. "This wound means nothing to me if I could return alive from that place."

That was not the answer he expected for. That was not the answer that he wanted to hear.

Bam knew that Charlotte was a good actress. She hid all her pains and sadness as not to burden him. But Charlotte never knew that her behavior only made him felt more responsible and guilty. He felt responsible and guilty for not being strong enough.

'You are a very good liar, Charlotte,' he thought. 'That I couldn't tell if you are really fine or not.'

"Brother?" She asked, wanting to hear his voice again, because now without her eyes, she could only tell that her brother was next to her with her instinct, her touch and her ears.

Altaira was standing next to the door, watching how Charlotte was trying to make Bam feel better. Unlike Bam, he had suffered many times because of Charlotte's lies that he had developed the ability to tell if she was truly lying or not. And his feeling told him that she was not lying. She was not really lying.

The conversation repeated itself in his head, how she raised her hand upwards above her head and felt that she was still alive, breathing.

"Why it's so dark here......?"

When she woke up, he was the first to hold her hand. And when she felt someone holding her hand, the first person who she thought was, "Khun?"

He was just about to ask for her condition and what she had been through when she mistook him for someone else. He didn't blame her though. He knew the close relationship between his sister and Khun and that he was starting to support them together, of course, rather than letting her going around with a random man who he didn't trust, but how should he tell his sister that they lost Khun?

"Khun? Are you there?"

How upset would she be? And how desperate she would be to do anything to bring him back?

She was so carefree that she was very reckless. She knew some lines shouldn't be crossed, but she was too unrestrained to risk herself again and again, trying to break her boundaries and limits to get what she wanted, even if it means to lose her life.

"Why won't you say a single word?"

'You are just my little sister. You should have just lived a happy life. But why do you have to end up this miserable? Could it be that I was wrong? Maybe we should have just abandoned everything behind. The plot, the storyline, we should have just minded our business.'

'I don't need you to be special. I don't need you to be stronger. Just exist... and live happy by my side.'

"Charlotte." He gathered the courage to tell her the truth.

'The only way to make you happy is to let you make your own decisions and to watch you grow to be the person you wish to be.'

"It's me, Altaira."

'You're the happiest when you make your own decisions and crave your own path. And I am the most foolish person when I thought I could build a path for someone else.'

"Khun is not here."

'So I never dared to take you away, knowing that I may be making the same mistake.'

"He froze himself in an ice coffin to preserve his life."

'But at the end of the day, you are still hurt.'

"All because that damned b*tch stabbed him."

'So what should I do?'

If Charlotte would be more open with what she needs, if she tells him clearly what she wanted, then he would do anything to help her. She just needed to tell him what she wants. He was always worried, that his actions might be the opposite of what his sister needs or desires but that if he doesn't do it, then his sister might be injuring herself again.

"If you want revenge, then you just need to tell me. I'll help you with everything I could. You just need to tell me what you want and what you need."

'So that I could make the best decision for myself as well.'

Charlotte pondered about her decision. She could be certain that now, she was safe. She survived from the Hidden Floor and returned alive to the Hell Train but with the price of losing her sight.

'Honestly.... I don't know....'

Charlotte had expectations that Khun might just overcome the crisis after all the changes she made. Just like when she replaced Rachel to heal his wound and prevented a bomb was planted in his body, Altaira was also there next to him. So, she thought that Rachel was trying to do anything foolish, at least her brother could save him and change the plot.

But Altaira did not do that.

'There is something that I would like to ask to him... but I'll wait,' she thought. 'Since I am still alive and the plot is still moving according to the original, then after this, we're going to be hit by something bigger and more dangerous.'

"The first and greatest adventurer in this tower with the red third eye on my forehead and a crimson cape wrapped around me."

'Zahard....'

She raised her head at the direction where she believed Altaira was and said, "There are some things that I must tell both Noah and Celeste. Are they here?"

Altaira was confused with what she had to say for the siblings, but he nodded his head and asked, "Then can you wait here as I go and call them?"

Charlotte nodded her head, "Sure. Of course I can."

"Good," he said, surprising her with a head pat. "Then don't go anywhere. I'll return quickly."

After that, she could feel his presence slowly fading from the room. And after he left, her smile changed again into a serious expression.

As she touched her arm, she could feel that the lavender mark the fake Christ left for her was glowing. It was still there and it was definitely not a dream that now she was targeted.

'A war will definitely come soon. Thanks to the information I've obtained by almost dying and losing my eyes, I could be certain that I won't die for now, but I'll live a life worse than death instead. There's no telling that things will go just like the manhwa, so I must do something to increase my power.'

Amidst of her thoughts, her mind was thinking of one person, one of the few people who cared for her and her brother in FUG.

'Master......'

She was sure that right now, somewhere in the tower, he was busy fighting against the people from Zahard army, against one of the well- known Zahard Princesses.

'Maschenny Zahard....'

She held her arm tighter.

≪ ◦ ❖ ◦ ≫

"If you intended to pick a little fight with me out of some stupid curiosity then run away, you picked on the wrong person, princess."

[ Ha Jinsung's Style Shinsu Control Skill - Red World (Water Drop) ]

Red light devoured everything on sight. Half of the floating ships were wiped out. The soldiers were in panic while the two monsters were still standing unscathed.

And it was precisely at this moment that a giant item like a huge stone pillar appeared above him. The giant item itself had a single eye that seemed to be staring at its target.

"Everyone, retreats! Get as far away from the target as possible immediately! Raise the warning level for the target to red three! Proceed with complete annihilation!"

Maschenny recognized the item.

"It's finally here. The 'cannon salute' from the army to announce the start of the war," she said in ease.

[ King Zahard's Deadly Weapon No. 9 -- Anti High- Rankers : El Robina ]

Ha Jinsung couldn't believe what he had just seen.

"Jesus, you only have ten of them in your possession. Zahard... were you serious about this?"