Towers of Heaven 2

by Cameron Milan

  ​ Jason's voice was laced with shock. “Where did you get a mental suppression skill?”

  ​ The foot that was about to touch the ground paused. Shenlong froze, even more surprised than Jason. “How do you know about it?”

  ​ Jason’s mind clapped with thunder. He had only been guessing, and yet Shenlong had just admitted as much. An ascender gaining a mental suppression skill? This was unheard of. Everyone knew only bosses had these skills, as they were ridiculously overpowered. Just imagine it. If your mind was suppressed, you’d only be able to exhibit ninety percent of your strength, and in rare cases less than fifty. If an ascender gained access to a skill of this caliber, they’d gain a massive advantage.

  ​ Shenlong recalled his foot and stood straight. Seeing that Jason was silent, he arrived at his own answer. “I guess this ability isn’t that rare, so I suppose there’s no harm in telling you. Besides, it’ll be hard to keep it a secret anyways.”

  ​ Shenlong wore a proud expression as he explained. “While everyone else was climbing the steps on the third stage, I received enlightenment. Not only could the steps refine will, they could also teach how to use a soul to suppress another. I must say, whoever created that staircase is a genius.”

  ​ “There was such an effect?” Jason was dumbfounded, though he grew calm a moment later. This wasn’t the first time something like this had happened. He was, after all, a normal person compared to people like Roy, Olivia, and Shenlong. They were true geniuses, and as such, could take advantage and grow through things he could not. That was the line that separated them from him. That was the limit of his talent. Some people might be depressed from this, but Jason was not. Didn’t he become equals with those monstrous geniuses in the end?

  ​ Shenlong continued, ignorant of Jason’s thoughts. “I don’t think I was the only one who received this skill. The people in the top ten should have as well. Otherwise, I can’t imagine how they got as far as they did.”

  ​ Wait. Jason paused. Didn’t he evolve his battle energy by combining it with killing intent? If he directed this at another person, would it be considered a mental suppression skill?

  There was only one way to find out.

  ​ Chapter 36

  ​ Chilling, ice-cold murderous intent erupted from Jason, clashing with Shenlong’s skill. The air around them trembled, and dirt from the arena floor rose into the air, their hair whipped about by something intangible. Jason and Shenlong took a step back from the impact, but going any further was admitting defeat. This was a clash of will; there was no retreat. They were battling with the very thing that drove them: Fury towards the tower and its creator, and the dream of reaching the peak of martial arts.

  ​ The driving force behind Shenlong’s will might seem lacking compared to unbridled fury, but thinking so was a mistake. Only Shenlong himself knew how much he sacrificed. How much time he invested. Year after year. Decade after decade. This was the will of a man who wanted to reach the peak. How much patience was required? How much determination?

  ​ Visual phenomena appeared from their clash. Red streaks of light flickered in and out of existence on Jason’s side, while pure white streaks flashed on the other. More and more lights appeared as their clash intensified. It seemed to grow without end. Now a low hum echoed throughout the arena, the air beginning to vibrate.

  ​ What Jason and Shenlong didn’t know was that pitting one’s will against another was incredibly dangerous if something went wrong. After all, if your will was destroyed, what would be left of you? Just an empty shell.

  ​ Jason and Shenlong glanced around at the strange phenomena. Their instincts told them the same thing: continuing might be fatal. As if by tacit agreement, they both recalled their wills at the same time. The arena fell silent, the dirt dropping to the ground. It was like everything that happened was just an illusion.

  ​ Jason released a breath. In all his long years in the tower, he never experienced such a thing, or even heard about it. He’d have to consult with Aros to figure out what had happened. For now, it was best to withhold releasing his will until he had a better understanding of the ability.

  ​ Shenlong stared at Jason, his thoughts churning. He asked calmly. “You definitely aren’t Dubaku or any of the others. I know a lot of people, and I definitely don’t know you. You’re Jason, right?”

  ​ “That’s right.” Jason didn’t deny it. There was no reason to. Shenlong was no Cay Wolf. He might be intense, but that was just a result of his passion. Shenlong was someone to rely on.

  ​ Shenlong inspected Jason’s equipment, a frown appearing on his face. “Why is someone at your level wearing such crap equipment?”

  ​ Jason smiled playfully. “Would you believe me if I said I entered the tower about six months ago?”

  ​ Shenlong nodded. “I would.”

  ​ “Oh.” Jason was expecting Shenlong to be surprised, or at least show a bit of emotion. To be honest, he was a bit disappointed.

  ​ “Are you wondering why I’m not startled?” Shenlong chuckled. “It’s because that’s the only logical reason. I know everyone among the upper and top-tier guilds. I may not like it, but I read the intelligence reports my students create.” Shenlong paused briefly. “Now that I think about it, your name does ring a bell. Aren’t you someone related to Index?”

  ​ “Correct.”

  ​ “See, now I’m getting interested in you, young man.” Shenlong eyes blazed with emotion. “Index is quite a mystery. He or she knows things that even top-tier guilds don’t know. Now, he sends you, a young man who has reached the peak of the third realm and is no older than thirty. I just can’t figure it out.”

  ​ Jason could only smile in silence. Now wasn’t the right time to tell people the truth, even if it was Shenlong. He felt safer now that he was somewhat strong, but he was not yet unbeatable. Cay Wolf in particular always weighed in the back of his mind.

  ​ Shenlong closed one eye as he rubbed his Fu Manchu mustache. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to capture and torture you.”

  ​ “Thanks,” Jason joked.

  ​ Shenlong spun his spear around before pointing it at Jason. “I’m tired of talking. Let’s fight.”

  ​ Jason readied his posture with a carefree smile. “Please begin.”

  ​ A thrust. It was such an easy move to counter, and yet, when used by Shenlong it was anything but. It was faster than lightning. So fast that even Jason could barely see the afterimage. The spearhead aimed for the shoulder of his sword arm, the only part of his body that was exposed. It was perfect. If the spear hit its mark, his tendon would be severed and his sword arm disabled. Only because the rules of the tower had changed was a method like this effective.

  ​ And yet, even as the spear honed in, it missed by less than an inch. This was no accident. Jason could not see the spear, but he could see Shenlong’s body. By watching Shenlong’s shoulder and anticipating what action he would take, Jason could move before the spear did. Only in this way did he avoid the attack.

  ​ Shenlong continued his offensive, the air rippling with every thrust. Each attack missed Jason’s body by the narrowest margin. If he made one mistake, it would be over. It might seem like they were equal, but if things continued at this rate, it would be a battle of attrition. In the end, Jason was the one reacting. He would be the first to fall. Realizing this, Jason decided to go all out.

  ​ A glyph on the front of Jason’s shield suddenly lit up. A blinding flash of light erupted, blinding Shenlong. Not wanting to waste this chance, Jason charged forward with burst. With one step he closed the distance, his sword cutting across Shenlong’s chest. Chop was absurdly powerful, and should be enough to end the match.

  ​ Unfortunately, Shenlong might be blinded, but he wasn’t clueless. He retreated as soon as he was blinded, only allowing a shallow cut across his chest. Jason clicked his tongue as he continued his assault before the blindness wore off. In the end, Shenlong only received superficial wounds. It
wouldn’t affect his combat power at all.

  ​ The two men paused as they inspected each other. Shenlong’s eyes narrowed when he found numerous glyphs on Jason’s equipment. Instead of being frustrated at being caught unaware, he laughed. “So that old fart finally finished his research, huh? Good! It’s amazing as expected.”

  ​ “It was just in time for the tournament as well.” Jason commented. “Some people might choose powerful spells, but I prefer little effects like this. It has more of an impact during a fight.”

  ​ “And indeed you’re right.” Shenlong paused before releasing a sigh. “I didn’t want to bully you considering your equipment, but you leave me no choice.”

  ​ Shenlong’s body flashed with light. In the next moment, his robes disappeared, replaced with powerful equipment. There were eight pieces of celestial gear, and each ring, necklace, and earring was unique grade. But that wasn’t all. In his hands was a blood-red spear. It was a blood oath item, just like the item that created Tank. Shenlong now emitted a pressure no weaker than a field boss. Indeed, with his current equipment, he could solo a field boss of the same level in a head on fight. He didn’t need to use tricks like Jason did with the ogre.

  ​ “Here I come.” Shenlong’s body disappeared, followed by a sonic boom.

  ​ Before Jason could even react, it was over.

  Chapter 37

  ​ Some say that speed is everything in a fight. Just imagine trying to win against an opponent that moves twice as fast as you. By the time you block the first attack, the second attack would have already struck. Worse, Shenlong was even faster. That’s why Jason wasn’t irritated at the loss. Equipment was just too important, and even though he spent most of his money to upgrade his, nobody sold celestial grade equipment on the market. Only if you had friends in high places could you get the chance.

  ​ The matches continued. Jason won one match after another without suspense. Thankfully he didn’t encounter anybody from a top-tier guild’s core force, otherwise it would have been a tough fight. They were the only people left in the tower who were stronger than him.

  Millions of duels happened simultaneously. Only the mystical powers of the tower could accomplish such a feat. No human could schedule duels for ten million people.

  There was a change after several hours of fighting. While Jason was waiting for his next match, a notification appeared.

  Tournament of Champions - Stage 4

  Henceforth, only ten duels will occur at a time.

  10,000 remain. Who will be the champion?

  Jason was promptly teleported, appearing in the stands of the colosseum. All around him were ascenders. Ten thousand of them stood in the stands, giving each other wary looks. The atmosphere was full of fighting intent. A short moment later, a familiar voice came from Jason’s side.

  “Hey!” Walter made his way over, the crowd parting upon seeing one of the most famous ascenders. “I see you’ve made it to the end.”

  Jason gave Walter a firm handshake with a humble response. “Just barely.”

  “Hahaha, you sure know how to joke.” Walter had seen Jason’s rankings and was stunned; he didn’t expect the young man to be so strong. He himself only placed within the top ten twice. Walter glanced around. “All that’s left are the strongest humans on the planet. This is the first time we’ve gathered together. Now that I look at it, it’s quite a force!”

  “If we worked together, taking over the world would be a piece of cake,” Jason joked.

  Walter gave Jason a glance. “Sorry, not interested!”

  “Me neither. It would be too much work.” Jason quipped.

  “That’s for sure.”

  Before long, twenty ascenders were teleported into the arena. A massive notification appeared above, showing their names. One match caught Jason’s eye.

  Andy vs Wendy

  Wendy was a frail-looking girl dressed in glowing robes. Vein-like markings were carved into her staff, pulsing with power. Her opponent left the crowd gasping in astonishment. Andy was nearly ten feet tall, his body covered in massive muscles. With a roar, he grabbed his chestplate and ripped the metal apart. Wind blasted through the arena, kicking up Wendy’s hair even though she stood thirty feet away. That was how powerful his roar was.

  “Who is this guy?” Walter was bewildered. “This must be the Andy who ranked first during the second stage. But it’s strange, how come I’ve never heard of him?” Jason rubbed his chin with a playful smile. He knew who Andy was, and was happy to see that the guy never changed.

  Everyone in the stands could feel the might from Andy’s body. It was clear that a single punch could cause their bodies to explode. Wendy’s frail body stood no chance. She struggled to stand, her face paling. “I… I surrender!”

  Andy let loose another roar, his fists beating against his chest. Each impact caused a massive boom. Jason chuckled when seeing this. This guy, he sure knows how to put on a show.

  The next few matches were close fights. Almost everyone remaining were members of a top-tier guild. Their gear wasn’t lacking, much less their combat techniques. The weakest among them had reached the first realm.

  After an hour, two famous participants appeared in the arena. Peter versus Amara. Walter frowned upon seeing the matchup. “Damn, what poor luck.”

  Jason raised an eyebrow. “You don’t think he can win?”

  Walter sighed with a shake of his head. “That little girl has been challenging me every week ever since my guild has grown in strength these past few months. I’ve beaten her every time, but she’s quickly closing the gap. She has the most potential out of everyone I’ve seen.”

  “Peter isn’t weak either.” Jason frowned, a little unhappy that Walter was underestimating his best friend.

  Walter agreed. “I know that. I hate to admit it, but she’s stronger.”

  “Isn’t she only twenty?” Jason still disagreed with Walter. “She may be a natural-born, but she’s too young.”

  “Just watch.” Walter sighed and said no more.

  Amara was a young woman from India, and had only been in the tower for a little over a year. Besides the tattoo of a red phoenix between her eyebrows, most distinctive were her glowing red hair and eyes.

  Peter’s hand lightly grasped his katana. His gaze was firm as he sized up his opponent. Everyone in the crowd knew who Peter was. Skyfall could compete for the title of the best top-tier guild, and he was the second most powerful member in it. And yet, Amara didn’t even spare him a glance. She was holding a handheld mirror and inspecting her appearance.

  When the timer hit zero, she reluctantly put away her mirror and glanced at her opponent for the first time. Peter charged forward with lightning speed. As a magic swordsman, he used magic to enhance himself. By the time he was halfway to Amara, he had already used numerous buffs.

  Amara raised her chin, looking down upon Peter with arrogance. “You just barely qualify.”

  Three firebolts blinked into existence behind her. They were the size of a spear and packed the punch of TNT.

  The audience exploded. “Triple casting? How can that be?!”

  “How young is she? She can already triple cast?” The mages all over the colosseum had mixed emotions. Some were furious, others envious.

  “What a genius!” Jason was stupefied. It took him many years to reach the front lines before he time traveled, and as such knew the top ascenders only through rumors. He knew Amara was strong, but how strong could she be after only being in the tower for a year? Only now did he realize he vastly underestimated her.

  Combat techniques were different for mages. The mark of a mage’s combat power depended on how many spells they could cast at a time. It was easier said than done. Multicasting required splitting one’s mind, and the slightest mistake would cause the spell to fail. As such, the difficulty rose the more spells one cast.

  Walter was calm. “That’s not all.”

  Down in the arena, Peter too was surprised, but he didn’t
let it affect him. He continued forward without sparing the firebolts a glance. With a swing of his weapon, a wall of wind rose in front of him, blocking all three of the firebolts. He arrived in front of Amara without injury. “That’s too bad. If you staggered the firebolts, it would have slowed me down. But now, it’s over.”

  ​ “You’re right. It is over.” Amara gave Peter a look of disdain, not even sparing a glance at the katana whistling towards her neck.

  ​ All of a sudden, Peter felt danger. His instincts screamed at him to dodge. He looked down at his feet, finding himself stepping onto a small magic circle. It activated as soon as he made contact with it.

  ​ A pillar of blue fire encompassed Peter, his body disappearing within. With his stats and equipment, it wasn’t enough to kill him, but the magic circle lasted five seconds, and he knew it. Forcing down the pain, Peter charged out, only to run into an ice wall that abruptly appeared. There was no time to waste destroying it, so he jumped up, planning to vault over it. Unfortunately, another ice pillar appeared, blocking his path. Again and again, his path was blocked.

  ​ By the time he finally escaped, he was at death’s door. His body was unsightly, his skin long since charred black.

  ​ Amara approached him, giving him a mocking look. “You shouldn’t have underestimated me.”

  ​ “You’re right.” Peter chuckled hoarsely as he admitted his mistake. “I didn’t expect you to be able to quadruple cast, so I didn’t bother looking at my feet. I also should have just destroyed the first ice wall instead of finding another way out. If I did that, things would have been different.”

  ​ “Your combat experience is lacking.” Amara commented calmly.

  ​ Peter’s face twitched at remark. Here he was, almost thirty, and yet a twenty-year-old girl who’d only been in the tower for a year was saying he lacked experience? His pride was hurt, and yet he couldn’t say a word.